


Wings of Night

by Phantom_Nightz



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Angel Wings, Blood, Blood and Injury, Brothers, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Experimentation, Family, Family Secrets, Future Character Death, Hidden Talents, Homophobia, Human Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Injury, Kidnapping, Lies, M/M, Major Character Injury, Necklaces, One or two acapella songs but that's about it, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, Touring, Unethical Experimentation, Violence, Watchers, a capella, light relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:55:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 27
Words: 33,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29160765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantom_Nightz/pseuds/Phantom_Nightz
Summary: Grian and Xisuma are brothers, Watchers, and best friends. They've always gotten into trouble together.The two are young Watchers, but they go farther than they're supposed to and are kidnapped and taken to a new world where they live amongst normal players.
Relationships: Grian/Rendog
Comments: 80
Kudos: 71





	1. Notes

**_HALLO!_ **

**_Yes, new story. No, I don't care that I have like seven that aren't completed yet._ **

**_IT'S FINE._ **

**_EVERYTHING IS FINE._ **

**_I'M TOTALLY NOT GIVING MYSELF DISTRACTIONS TO AVOID DEALING WITH MENTAL THINGS._ **

**_IT'S FINE._ **

**_I'm fine. Seriously. ANYWAYS._ **

**_Grian and Xisuma and brothers, Grian was 'adopted' at a young age, so Xisuma's family is the only one he knows._ **

**_Grian and Xisuma can both shape shift._ **

**_Yes they will shapeshift into animals. No you cannot stop me._ **

**_This is a violent story!_ **

**_Warnings include but are not limited to:_ **

**_Kidnapping, mentions of depression isk items, blood, graphic depictions of violence (what's new), abuse_ **

**_THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED REGULARLY BEFORE A CHAPTER IS POSTED. I ask that you look at this page if you have any of the triggers listed._ **

**_Enjoyeth Thy Booketh._ **

_**That's not proper medieval.** _

**_< 3 PN_ **


	2. Wings

Grian and Xisuma are brothers. Grian knew he was adopted, but he also knew that his family that he has now is loving and caring.

It was almost the crack of dawn when Xisuma got Grian up.

"X..." Grian whined, "It's so early.."

"Grian, c'mon. Let's go wake mum and dad." Xisuma chuckled, "It'll be fun."

"Xisuma, you know what happened last time."

"It's fine."

Grian chuckled and got out of bed, "What animal?"

"Lion cubs."

"Oh that's fun."

Grian turned himself into lion cub, because they were so young that's what they turned too, and Xisuma followed him.

When they opened the door, the two crept up to the bed. The glanced at each other with a smile. Then jumped onto the bed shouting:

"Mum, mum, mum, mum, dad, dad, mum, mum, dad, dad, dad!"

"Your sons are awake." Their mother chuckled.

"Before sunrise, they're your sons."

"Dad! Get up! C'mon!" Xisuma teased, "Grian and I want attention."

"Actually, _you_ wanted attention. _I_ wanted to sleep." Grian chuckled sitting at the near edge of the bed, his tail swinging in a happy, calm motion, "But I gave in because it's funny."

"It won't be so funny if you're grounded." Their father threatened, "Go back to bed."

"But dad!"

"Xisuma, Grian, bed now. It's too early for you two to be up."

Grian started chuckling before Xisuma tackled Grian off the bed making a lot more noise than they should have. Because the next thing they new, Xisuma got a pillow thrown at him.

Grian started laughing, wheezing on every other laugh. At least he was until a pillow got thrown at him causing his balance to get off. He wobbled on his four legs before planting them in place and shaking his head, the chain around his neck jingling as he did.

"Grian, Xisuma, bed now. You're both too young to be up this early."

The two young Watchers didn't argue anymore and went back to their rooms.

Grian turned back human as he stretched and got into bed, sleeping in until nine.

Grian and Xisuma were play fighting while their father was talking to their older brother. They unfortunately got in the way.

"Grian.." Their father warned.

"C'mon X. That's not the best you can do." Grian taunted.

Xisuma pinned Grian to the ground, "Yeah, right."

"Xisuma..." Their father warned once more.

Grian was one of those Watchers who liked using his powers to shapeshift, he got the hang of it pretty quickly, and he's still a relatively young age so everything he turned into was the younger version of that animal. Xisuma had followed his lead and was the same animal as Grian, lion cubs.

The two continued fighting with each other until their father shouted, "BOYS!"

Grian shrieked as he was thrown off Xisuma and to the other side of their father and bigger brother. Grian and X both looked worried as the looked at their father.

"Boys, I need to talk to your brother. He's going to be creating a world today."

"Big whoop. I already did that." Grian gloated, "It's not difficult."

"Grian, this is different." Their big brother said, "Because I'm training to be-"

"Ruler of the galaxy. We know." Xisuma and Grian groaned at the same time.

Their brother scoffed at them, "At least I know what I'm going to be when I grow up. What're you going to be little brothers?"

The two got up close to their brother and smiled as they said, "Happy."

"Grian, Xisuma, that's enough." Their father said as their mother walked up, their mother picked up Grian, "Go play somewhere else."

"Mum! Let me go!" Grian whined as he struggled in her arms. His mother chuckled and turned him back human.

"Go play elsewhere Grian. You too Xisuma." She said putting Grian down, "Stay close to home."

"Yes mum." The two said in unison, and Xisuma followed Grian outside rather quickly.

Once outside Grian tackled Xisuma to the ground.

Grian's cub coat looked to be bright golden fur, Xisuma's was slightly darker but it was easy to tell the difference between the two of them.

The two were playing on the hill behind their house. The soft grass felt nice against their feet. It was slightly wet from the rain they had last night.

Xisuma snarled at Grian and lunged at him pushing the two rolling down the hill into the tall grass at the bottom.

Once to the bottom, Grian pinned Xisuma on his back and laughed at him.

"Hold up." Grian said suddenly looking around them, he got off of Xisuma and started looking around, "There's someone down here."

"It's the field tall grass, of coarse someone's going to be down here."

"N-no.. X. It's different. Whoever it is, they're not a Watcher."

The two young Watchers started at growl at their throats. The footsteps kept coming closer. Then suddenly a wire came out of nowhere grabbing Grian causing a yelp and a whimper out of him, the same thing happened to Xisuma, then the two were thrown into metal boxes.

"Let us go!" Grian pleaded, scratching at the door, only for it to open and the person outside forcibly putting a sedative inside his arm, then slammed the door shut. Grian fell unconscious within seconds.

_~!!!~_

A few hours pass and the mother walked up to the father, "Have you seen Grian and Xisuma? I can't find them anywhere."

"You mean they aren't outside?"

"Yeah, they aren't even in their rooms."

"That's odd. Contact their friends."

"I already did. I'm worried, because they've still not caught those hunters yet."

"Those Watcher hunters are still here? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I'm actually really worried. Grian and Xisuma together can destroy an entire world if their powers are used evilly."

"They're good kids. I know they wouldn't use their powers for evil."

"Honey, they're young. They're only five! I can't imagine how scared they must be."

"I'll get the trackers on them now."

_~!!!~_

Grian woke up in something that looked like a habitat. As he stood on his four paws.

"X?"

"Grian!" Xisuma said jumping down, he had already turned back, so Grian did the same as he asked his next question, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah.. I'm okay. Where are we?"

"I don't know..."

"Xisuma... I'm scared..." Grian whispered, "We're all alone, our parents are no where to be found..."

"I know you're scared. Stay calm... We'll get through this."


	3. When The Night Never Ends

Xisuma noticed how frightened and nervous Grian was and he wanted to distract him.

"Grian... Let's play."

"We could die at any second and you want to _play?_ Xisuma, I don't want to. I'm scared to get hurt."

"Nothing like a distraction to take care of fright... Right?"

"I-I guess so."

"C'mon then. Turn over." Xisuma coaxed him by turning into a cub, Grian turned over immediately after and the two started playing around.

_~!!!~_

"What are they doing?"

"They're kids. They play."

"That doesn't look like playing."

"They _are_ from the Void family."

"Grab the golden one. Bring him to room one."

"Right away sir."


	4. On Display

When the door suddenly opened to their cell, the two boys froze in place watching as three people walked in dressed in white coats.

Suddenly, Grian was choking, but this time it was stronger as he was grabbed around his neck. He was being dragged away from Xisuma. Grian struggled and eventually managed to plant his feet and bite at the rod, his teeth clamping hard around the cold metal.

"Dammit kid! Let go!" One of the scientists shouted, jiggling the rod, "We're going to have to subdue him if we're getting him out of here."

The intruders pushed Grian down to the ground, preventing him from moving. Xisuma ran up to the people holding down Grian and bit at one of the mans' arms, drawing blood from how sharp his teeth were in this form.

"Back off kid." The person said kicking Xisuma back.

Before the people walked out, Xisuma heard Grian whimper the him being picked up and brought out of the habitat.

Grian was completely conscious, only unable to fight back at the moment. The 'doctors' gave him something that would render him unable to fight back.

His legs were strapped tightly to a table, he laid on his side. His breathing was slightly labored and his eyes started darting around the room. His tail wrapped around his right leg.

Someone walked up to him, they opened his eye wider and shined a light in it. The person then went to move his hands down his side. The doctor's hands were cold. He put pressure on Grian's side and the person hummed.

"Get me the x-ray machine."

Not a minute later there was a machine with a large virtual screen was in the persons' hands. He pointed it near Grian's rib cage.

Almost a nonexistent hum came from the machine. Grian could hear the person chuckle, then he spoke in a more Russian accent than anything.

"He's got the angel heart."

"What do you want us to do with him?"

"Separate him from the brother." The main guy said, "Take him to habitat two. I'll deal with him later. Bring me the brother."

His legs were suddenly free and he was being picked up again. The person handling him was careful. They were kind with their movements.

When she opened the door to the second habitat, she laid Grian down in a small, rounded hole filled of leaves and grass.

"Don't worry little one." She said, her voice kind and soft, "You'll get out of here alive."

She got up and left.

It took a good hour or so for Grian to get feeling back in his legs. So he stood and changed human and began looking around for somewhere to get out.

He knew he was alone, he knew he would get hurt, he _knew_ he probably wouldn't see his parents again.

He was scared he wouldn't see Xisuma again.

But most of all, he was just scared.

_What did he mean by angel heart?_

_What is he going to do to me?_

_What is he going to do to my brother?_

_Why are we here?_

_Why were we targeted?_

So many questions were asked in his mind. All of which bringing him more and more worry.

Grian made his way to a tree and climbed it, just sitting on the tallest branch. He learned to climb when he was three. 

It had brought him joy.

But now...

But now it's a thing he uses to get away from danger.

_~!!!~_

"It's been two days! They aren't here! I can't find them anywhere!"

"Lyra, calm down."

"Not even the tracker Watchers can find them." Lyra panicked, "A mother's worry never ends, Orion! Xisuma and Grian are-"

"Xisuma and Grian are going to be okay." Orion said trying to calm his other down, "I've been getting my friends looking for them as well. We'll find them."

"No, Orion, you don't get it. Grian has an _angel heart._ Only one percent of Watchers have that. Their blood is used to create weapons. Weapons that can destroy entire worlds _and_ Watchers."

"How do you know that?"

"When we got him, I took him to one of the cardiologist Watchers when we first got him. I never told Grian. I didn't tell anyone else because I didn't want the situation we're in right now to happen." Lyra said, her voice starting to break, "They're only kids. They're five years old."

"I know this Lyra. I'm worried about them too."

_~Two Days Later~_

Grian had learn to grow fearful of every person coming in and out of the cell.

He had stayed in his cub form because for him it was the most agile for him. 

When a tallish nurse walked in Grian backed to a corner, tail wrapped around his leg tightly, ears laid flat against his head.

She only dropped a device in front of him and left. No words spoken between the two.

_~!!!~_

Lyra was pacing in their living room, Grian and Xisuma's older brother, Xayther, just flying in. He was fifteen, ten years older than his two youngers.

"My friends and I haven't seen anything. We can't find them."

"Thanks for trying Xay. I want you to stay here for the rest of the day."

"Will do mother."

A few seconds later, their phone rang. Lyra quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

_"Mum?"_

"Oh my stars, Grian!" She motioned Orion to track the call.

_"Mum! Mum, I'm scared. I don't know where Xisuma is, I don't know where I am. I-"_

"Grian, baby, calm down. Calm down. Take a breath. What're your surroundings?"

_"I am in a cell with no windows. It's a Watcher made habitat. Almost identical to the one I was in before with X."_

Orion gave her a thumbs up, "Okay, Grian, baby, stay calm. Your father and I are coming."

_"No! No, don't!"_

"What? Why?"

_"They'll kill me and Xisuma. I don't know why they gave me this thing, but I don't want you two to get hurt."_

"Okay.. Okay. We'll figure something out. Just stay calm."

_"Calm is already gone. It's been gone ever since I was taken away from X."_

"Grian, _the sun is going down, look to the light._ Remember? Look to the light."

_"THERE IS NO LIGHT."_

She heard a gasp then the call ended, "Grian? Grian!?"

"What happened?!" Orion and Xayther asked.

"I don't know. But Orion get your friends to look for Grian and Xisuma where you found him. He doesn't want us to come. He wants us to be safe."

"I hate that, but fine."

_~Hours Later~_

A whine could be heard in Grian's breathing as his captors started making incisions on his stomach.

"Scope."

Grian could feel the cold scope going through his body. It stayed there for a few minutes.

"Looks like his heart is the only angel thing in him. That's annoying."

"How so sir?"

"It means we can't take anything out of him. But what we can do is turn all of what's inside him angelic so that we can and create the ultimate weapon."

Grian could feel the object being pulled out of him. It was slow and slightly painful. The hardest part for Grian right now was that he was completely conscious, the captors made sure to use minimal Lidocaine so that he could still feel what they were doing to him.

He jumped slightly when alarms were going off.

There were hands on him. Words were being spoke to him but it all sounded like jumble. 

He was being carried. It was almost unnoticeable.

It was completely noticeable when he was laid down on a bed and something being put into his arm. Within a couple minutes, everything was clear, he could hear, he could see clearly.

"Grian?" Someone asked him, "You with us?"

He couldn't find his voice but he nodded.

"Good, good. Xisuma's okay, he's in the other vehicle."

On the ride over, Grian became more conscious and gained enough strength to sit up.

Within minutes, Grian and Xisuma were in the same hospital room sitting on the edge of the beds.

"Are you okay Grian?" Xisuma asked, "I'm worried."

"I'm okay... Physically. I just wanna go home."

_"Grian, Xisuma!"_

The two perked up, "Mum!"

Lyra walked in, and kneeled on the ground so she could hug her two kids.

"Thank goodness you're both okay! I was so worried."

"Mum, can we go home?" Grian asked, "I want to go home."

"Yeah, baby. Yeah we can. You must be exhausted."

"Mentally and physically."

Little did Grian and Xisuma know, they weren't going home.


	5. Our New Home

"I don't understand why you want to take them to a player world." Orion groaned, "They're safer here than they would be there."

"They were kidnapped for three days." Lyra snapped, "They're not safe here. Xayther knows how to fight. Grian and X don't. They're too young. The best of their powers is their shape shifting."

The two adults left Grian and Xisuma in the room while they went to talk things out. So they were alone... Kinda. Xayther was with them. The oldest brother sat in a chair away from the two flipping a magic dagger, it shined a bright white. Grian tilted his head as he watched his eldest brother flip the dagger. The two youngers sat on the ground.

"What're you staring at, G?" Xayther asked, then noticed Grian's eyes fixed on the dagger, "No. No sharp objects."

"You're no fun."

"You're too young for sharp objects."

"Tell that to my claws."

"Other than your claws, you don't need sharp objects." Xayther said wiggling the dagger in his hand, "You don't know how to control them."

"You're no fun Xay." Grian pouted, "You don't ever let me have any fun."

"Have you met you?"

"Xayther, be nice to your brother." Lyra said walking around behind Grian. He followed her with his head, "I don't know what you guys were talking about, but be nice."

She knelt behind Grian, then picked him up. Grian moved his head under her chin as he got comfortable.

"Such a mama's boy." Xayther chuckled, Grian glared at him with glowing purple eyes, then made Xayther punch himself in the face, "OW."

"Grian... How'd you do that?" Lyra asked, "How did you overshadow his muscles?"

"I don't know, I guess I learned it by instinct?"

Lyra hummed, then ruffled Grian's hair, "Okay sweetie."

Grian shook his head listening to the necklace jingle once more, "The car is running outside. C'mon boys."

Lyra continued to carry Grian, with every other step, the comforting rocking quickly putting him to sleep. So by the time they got to the car Grian was asleep.

"Climb in boys." Lyra said then looked down at the curled up child in her arms and chuckled, "Now that's cute."

She carefully set Grian in the seat and buckled him in. His head was facing her, then she shut the door. And the family drove to their new home.

The world they went to was full of green grass, bright yellow sun, white fluffy clouds, living animals, more players than they could imagine.

When they pulled up, their new house was a bright blue single-family home. Their parents realized that all three of them were asleep, Orion spoke.

"You do know that they're going to be upset this isn't their normal home, right?" Orion asked, "They're smart kids. They aren't dumb."

"I know. But I told you I want to protect them. And taking them out of the Watcher realm is the only way I can think of doing it." Lyra said, picking up Grian and cradling him in her arms, "They didn't need this. They didn't need to be kidnapped this young. They'll be safe here in the player world's. I'm sure of it."

"Lyra... They'd have to hide what they are. Everything they know, they would have to hide. You know that."

Orion woke Xayther up so that he'd get out before they'd tak out Grian and Xisuma.

Lyra carried the sleeping Grian up to his new room while Orion did the same for Xisuma, "They'll be fine. They'll adapt."

She laid Grian in the bed and pulled the covers over him, then ran her hand through Grian's hair. She smiled and leaned over to the sleeping Watcher and gave him a kiss on the forehead and whispered, "You'll like it here. I promise."

She left her son to sleep, turning on the dimmed Christmas lights and turning off the overhead light. She looked back at him once more, smiled and closed the door.

Lyra and Orion met in the master bedroom rather quietly.

"How's Grian?"

"He's fine, Orion." Lyra said sitting on the edge of the bed beside him, "He's a tired little boy. But he's okay."

"Well that's good at least."

"Where did we put Grian's files? I need to look at something."

"Under the bed."

She went to the side off the bed and pulled out the files and started looking through them.

"What are you looking for?"

"His power list. Ah, here it is... He has the same powers as Xisuma..." Lyra said almost in disbelief, "Shapeshifting, telepathy, invisibility, an advanced healing factor, clairvoyance, precognition... Omnikinesis?"

" _Grian_ has Omnikinesis?" Orion asked, "I find that difficult to believe."

"That's one of the rarest Watcher powers..."

"That's... Odd. What's his blood type again?"

"Um.." She flipped to Grian's medical records, "Type B+... A-"

"What? What's with the gasp?"

"He's Type Angel B+."

"Oh well shit. There's no way he's ever going to not be hunted."

"We just can't tell anyone his blood type. It's why we've never told Xisuma his."

"Right, because he's what? Angel B-?"

"Yeah. We keep too many secrets from out boys. We've still not told Grian where he actually came from. He's just... He's so young. I've never wanted him to worry." She put the files down, "If anyone knew they'd be killed or experimented on onsite. It's why the only person who knows is the high Watcher."

_~5 and a half-ish years ago~_

Lyra had just gotten back from the hospital after giving birth to their newest edition to their family, Xisuma.

She was just about to go into the house when she saw a basket in front of their home doorstep.

"What in the stars?" She leaned down and picked up the note attached.

_"Dear Void family,_

_Please take care of him. I can't help him."_

"What..." She gasped, "Orion!"

"What's goin on?" He asked walking up to her, "What in the name of the stars is this?"

"He was left here. I don't know how long." Lyra said, "We have to help him."

"We already have two kids."

"Orion, you know what they do to baby Watchers in the system. They kill them because they aren't able to protect themselves otherwise."

"Lyra..."

"Orion, he's just a little bambino. We have to take him in."

"Geez you have such a kind heart." He picked up the child in the basket and uncovered his face, "He's actually really cute. C'mon, inside. You need to rest."

They both walked inside, Lyra sat on their couch while Orion held the basket baby.

"He has no other papers. No name, no medical documentation, no nothing... I'll have to take him back and see what he is. Get medical documentation on him."

"It's probably a good idea love."

The unnamed baby started making small noises at Orion.

"Okay... He is so cute."

"Well, hun, I'll stay here with Xisuma and Xayther, you take... Uh.. What're we going to call him?"

"Xelqua Grian Void?"

"That's a lot of X's in our family." Lyra chuckled, "I like it, but I think we'll just call him by Grian. So make Grian his middle name and we'll take it from there."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few hours."

_~Two hours later~_

Orion returned with the young child.

"Okay, so he's been named and I have his medical things. We'll talk about the records later, but he is officially under our name and care."

"Good... Good. We'll treat him as if he was actually a blood part of our family."

"I like how you said 'blood' part."

"Well, he isn't blood, but he's under our family name. So he's our family."

"He's our son."

A couple years pass, and Grian knew to love the family he was in. He had developed milestones quicker than normal children, it was all part of being a Watcher.

Grian sat in his bed, leaning against his mother. It was about nine at night and she was singing a soft tune.

Grian was about to fall asleep when he asked, "Mummy? Will I ever figure out who my biological parents are?"

"My little angel... I can't give you an answer, but I can tell you, you won't ever have to worry about leaving."

Grian smiled at his mother, she smiled sweetly back at him.

"Y'know, I was waiting until your birthday to give you this... But I think you're ready now."

She pulled out a box, handing it to Grian, she says, "You're only three, but sometime soon, you will know the truth my little angel."

Grian opened the box, it was a necklace. A pendant of metal angel wings with the words, "We all see the same sunset" engraved on the edge feathers.

"We all see the same sunset, Grian. And sometimes..." She hooked the necklace around his neck, "Angels are closer than they appear."

Grian yawned, "Thank you mum."

"You're welcome, now get some sleep." She kissed him on the forehead, "I'm cooking in the morning."

"It's pancake day tomorrow?!" He asked with a large smile.

Lyra chuckled and tucked him in the bed, "It's pancake day tomorrow."

"Yay!"

"Shh... You'll wake Orion. I'll see you in the morning sweetie. Good night angel."

"G' night, mumma."

_~!!!~_

"He was so innocent."

"What do you mean, 'was'?" Orion chuckled, "He still is."

"Fair."

"We'll tell him when he's old enough to understand."

"How long until we tell him that his kidnapping was because of his angel blood?"

"Like I said, when he's old enough to understand. That way we won't have to worry about him too much."

"Okay.."

_I hope you're right about this Orion. You've been wrong before._


	6. Morning Stars

Lyra walked into Grian's room quietly with his files in her hands. She sat them on the edge of the bed and sat beside Grian. She laid her hand on Grian's shoulder then slightly shook him.

"Grian, honey. Wake up."

"Mm.." Grian mumbled, then stretched with a strained yawn, "Mum?"

He looked to the clock and sat up, "It's six AM... What're you doing waking me up this early?"

"I.. I wanted to wait until you were older to tell you about this. But, you've heard of angels, right?" She looked uneasy as she spoke, Grian tilted his head a little as he urged her to go on, "Angels are the most powerful beings."

"Okay... Mum, what're you getting at?"

"Honey, one percent of Watchers have an angel heart. It is the rarest thing a Watcher could have. _You_ are in that one percent."

"I'm not a full blooded Watcher?"

Lyra shook her head, "You're better than a Watcher. You're an angel."

"But you've always called me your angel. Was that all a lie?"

"Grian, baby, no. No it wasn't. You are my angel, you always have been. You and Xisuma both."

"But Xayther-"

"Xayther doesn't have an angel heart, it's why he is the way he is."

"Violent and self-centered?"

"Violent, yes. Self-Centered, no. Conscientious, yes. He thinks he should be appealing to our wants and needs."

"Oh... So this whole angel thing... Is that-"

"Yeah." Lyra interrupted, then grabbed his files, "When you were just a tiny little being, we had you tested for what powers you have."

She handed him the open page, "These are your powers. And in a few months, you'll be undergoing our home schooling and-"

"Wait, homeschooling? Where are we?" Grian panicked, "What-"

"Grian, you don't need to panic or worry." Lyra interrupted, "You're safe here. There are no other Watchers here, there are no hunters here, nor are there people who can harm you. Okay?"

"Okay... But our powers-"

"We will teach you how to control them. It's easy."

"What about dad? What is he going to do?"

"Orion is going to be doing his own thing. He's going to be doing Orion things. Don't worry about it hun."

"Are we safe here, for sure?"

"As far as I'm concerned."

"I trust you."

Within a couple of months, Lyra and Orion were training Grian and Xisuma with their powers.

When there was a knock on the door, the family hid their wings, Grian and Xisuma sat on the couch as Lyra opened the door.

Behind the door, be stood three people. A father, a mother, and two children.

Grian heard the mother speaking to theirs.

"Hi! We're the Usoro's. We just moved in across the street, I'm Jewel, this is my husband Starr. This is our son Ren. He likes to pretend he's a werewolf."

"It's very nice to meet you guys, I have two young sons, then my oldest is out and about somewhere with his friends." Lyra said, "Would you like to come in?"

"Oh gladly!"

The family was very cheery. Grian noticed that the son was shy. Shyer than a normal kid. Ren's mother told him to join Grian and Xisuma on the couch, which he did hesitantly.

"Hi.." The young child said shyly.

Grian started shaking his foot that was hanging off the edge, "I'm Grian, that's Xisuma."

"Ren.. It.. It's nice to meet you." Ren said shyly, "What do you do for fun?"

"We do a few different... non traditional kid fun things." Grian chuckled, "In other words we aren't normal."

"What even is normal?" Ren chuckled, "I don't think normal exists."

The three young children shared a laugh.

"Awe, look at you three sharing a laugh." Jewel chuckled, "Ren, we need to get going."

"Do we have to?" Ren whined, "They seem nice!"

"We need to finish unpacking."

"But mom!"

"You can hang out with your friends later honey. C'mon."

"Awe..." The three children groaned.

Another month later, their mothers were talking while they watched Grian, Xisuma, and Ren play in the Usoro's backyard.

"Ren has really grown on your two boys." Jewel chuckled, "So where was your family before you came here?"

"Oh... Uh, from the country side."

"Huh, we're from the country side. How come we've not seen you folks around?"

"We were far out in the country, like really far out."

"Oh, fun."

"Yeah." Lyra chuckled nervously, "So much fun."

_~High School Year: Three~_

Grian and Xisuma's parents decided that it would be good for them to get out and be in public school for their Junior year of high school.

The two had already gotten their schedules arranged, they nervously stood outside the front doors.

"Are we sure we want to go in?"

"Is my big brother Xisuma nervous about walking into a new building? C'mon bro, it can't be that bad."

"Grian, Xayther moved out and went back to the realm before he was told to go to one of these. We're walking in here with no experience."

"If we can handle the sharpness of our own claws, I'm sure we can handle anything that this school throws at us. You remember what mum says."

"She says a lot of things brother."

"The main thing. 'Every morning, a star shines bright to signify a new life'."

"You really take after mum don't you?"

"Yup! C'mon."

Grin dragged Xisuma into the building.

 _This place is huge! How am I supposed to find my way around this place?_ Grian thought, then brought out his schedule.

The paper said everything he needed to know.

_Xelqua Grian Void_

_Student ID#: 666842_

_Locker: 249_

_Combo: 25-05-17_

_Advisor: Justin Himes_

_8-8:50AM: Intermediate Algebra II  
Rm: 240W  
Teacher: Alula James_

_9-9:50AM: Men's Blues Choir  
Rm: 150A  
Teacher: Aster Rains_

_10-10:50AM: Intermediate English II  
Rm: 130B  
Teacher: Archer Sansa  
_

_11-11:50AM: Robotics III  
Rm: 260W  
Teacher: Atlas Castor_

_12-12:50PM: Lunch_

_1-1:50PM: Chemistry  
Rm: 140A  
Teacher: Nova Tint_

_2-2:50PM: Music Theory II  
Rm: 150A  
Teacher: Aster Rains_

_3-3:50PM: Acapella Harmonists_  
Rm: 150A  
Teacher: Halley Capella

"X? What time is it?" Grian asked staring at the schedule.

"It is.." He pulled out his phone, "9:10."

"Okay, uh, I have choir, I'll see you at lunch?"

"Yeah! I'll meet you there."

Grian waved bye to Xisuma and went up to the room he needed to go to.

Before he had even walked in the door, he could hear the choral group singing. He nervously opened the door, unsure of if he was okay to be in this room rather late.

The director cut off the choir and looked at Grian, "Men's Blues?"

"Yeah. Uh, I'm Grian." He introduced himself to the director, "I uh.. I don't know what I'm doing."

"What range are you in?"

"Tenor-Alto."

"You'll be in the middle then. In that section is Ren, Sam, Scar, and Justin."

"O-Okay." Grian then sat his bag down in the back with the rest of the packs and stood beside Ren, "Hey, I didn't realize you sang."

"I can say the same to you, G."

"Boys! Let's get back to work. Ren, I trust you'll make sure Grian knows how this ensemble works."

"Yes, Mr. Rains." Ren replied immediately then leaned over to Grian, "We work from this book for the first few weeks, follow along and you'll be just fine."

And follow along he did. When the class released, Grian continued to go to the rest of his classes.

When he got to Robotics, he noticed that there was no one he knew in the class, and every person was in some group and working on something.

It wasn't surprising to Grian considering it's been a couple of weeks since the year started.

When the teacher walked up to him, it scared him.

"Sorry, did I frighten you?" The teacher asked.

"A-A little bit." Grian stuttered, "Sorry, uh, I'm Grian, I'm new.. Uh what are they working on?"

"Come back with me a second and I'll talk to you about what they're all doing."

Mr. Castor was talking to Grian in the back, two people looked up and looked over.

"Ugh, dude. There's a new kid."

"Maybe he's nice. Unlike the last one."

"He better not mess anything up. I swear."

"Iskall, not everyone is a bumbling idiot. This is robotics three. Only the smarter and more capable people are in this class."

"Impulse, dude. We've not seen this kid anywhere before. We don't know what he's planning."

"You can't always immediately think that a new kid is going to wreck something. It's unethical."

"Oh shit. I think he's pairing the new kid with us."

"Impulse, Iskall." Castor said, "This is Grian, I'll be putting him in your group for this project."

"Are you texting his patience?"

"Iskall, watch your tone. Just show him around the machine."

"Yes sir." Iskall groaned, then Grian sat on the opposite side of the two, creating a triangle between the three, "Don't touch anything kid."

"I-"

"No. The last time we had someone new, they wrecked the entire bot."

As Grian sat back and watched Impulse and Iskall work, he noticed something about how the bot moved.

"It's pretty sluggish... It's moving rather slow. Don't you guys think?" Grian asked, he got a glare from Iskall but a confused look from Impulse, "The bot, it's rather slow. Here, allow me."

Grian moved the bot towards him and began working though some of the inner workings of the bot.

"And... There." Grian sat the bot down, "Now try it."

"Whoa.." Impulse breathed as he saw the bot move quicker and more fluent, "How did you-?"

"What I did was rearrange some of the volts. It's a simple mistake really. Sometimes when people work on smaller bots like this one, people tend to over watt the volts which causes the bot to die quicker and be slower in the process."

"Maybe you aren't too bad kid. What're you doing for lunch?" Iskall asked, "You can't have that many friends."

"Well I am new, so no. I don't really. But I'm meeting my brother in the cafe so.."

" _You_ have a brother? Who?"

"Xisuma. Uh, I'm.. I'm adopted, so we look nothing alike. But he's also new."

"If you two have no one to sit with, find us. We'll be outside in the courtyard."

From that point, Grian had been included with the two in that class with how much he knew about robotics.

Throughout the day, whenever he had a class with the same one person, he started to feel quite creeped out.

That one person just stared at him.

He didn't speak.

He didn't walk up to him.

He just _stared._

Large blue eyes, always in a white hoodie, black boots, all creep.

Grian tried paying no attention to him, but something about that person just... Scared him.

_"Grian!"_

The shout of his name distracted him enough to shout back, "Y-yeah, Ren, I'll be right there!"

_~!!!~_

While Xisuma and Grian were at school, Lyra thought about what happened in the past.

Grian and Xisuma mastered their powers and were great at hiding them.

Orion stopped insisting on hiding things from the two.

_If we had just told them before that they could be used for a greater weapon, they wouldn't have been so mad before._

_They wouldn't have been so upset with us._

_But they understood._

_They didn't question anything._

_It's almost like they knew that we were just trying to protect them._

_They're both unique Watchers._

_But they have a normal life here._

_They're happy._

_But I'm worried about Grian..._

"Lyra, what are you thinking so hard about?"

"Huh? Oh. Orion, hey."

"What's going on with you?"

"I guess I'm just distracted."

"By?"

"Just.. Something I found in Grian's room."

"What did you find?"


	7. Shine Like A Diamond

Grian was observing the Acapella class he was in. He sat at the front of the class. They all only stood in place looking bored with everything.

_Why aren't they moving? This looks very boring._

When the director looked at Grian, he began to bombard him with questions.

"What do you think of the group?"

"They... They sound great. But they look extremely bored." Grian said, then immediately regretted his comment immediately, "N-no! Not that the piece is boring."

"No. You're right. Acapella should be fun. What do you think should happen, Grian?"

He could feel all the pairs of eyes staring at him.

"I... Uh, this is Acapella. It-It's fun." Grian stuttered, "I think if there's a little movement and a few smiles looking like they want to be here it'd look more fun."

"Okay, hop in and join the group then. I'm sure you already know a few people here."

By the end of the day, the harmonists left class chattering about the suggestions Grian said. Grian heard a few of them and they were actually really positive.

He was talking to Ren and a few others after the class ended.

"So, Acapella. I didn't realize you were into it." Ren chuckled.

Grian rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I figured I'd try something different. I had liked to sing when I was younger, but I've never embraced it."

"Well, Scar and I are glad you're here." Ren said picking up his bag, "You should join us at my place to work on Algebra homework."

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't know.."

"Grian, it's fine. We'd be happy to bring you along."

He smiled, "Thanks. I'll talk to my mum, but I gotta meet Xisuma outside."

"We'll see you around G-Man."

He nodded, waved by to the two and put in his earbuds, played music and texted Xisuma.

_Grian: Hey, are you at the statue?_

_X: Yeah! Where are you?_

_Grian: I have to grab something from my locker. I'll be down in a moment._

_Grian: Unless you want to meet me up here._

_X: Yeah sure what's your locker number again?_

_Grian: 249, I'll see you in a bit then._

He was humming the song playing as he unlocked the locker and put books inside, a hand slammed beside it.

"You."

"Uh... Hi?" Grian said confused on what's happening, "You've been the one staring at me in my cores. Uh who are you?"

"I'm also in your choir class. Don't mess anything up, newbie. You've made quite the impression on the teachers for your first day."

"That still doesn't answer my question of who you are."

He grabbed Grian by the collar of his shirt, "Just stay out of my way."

He shoved Grian in his locker and slammed it.

_Seriously? Who is this guy and what is his beef with me?_

He strained to get his phone. But he heard people shouting and sets of frantic footsteps running up to the lockers.

_"Where's Grian?"_

"In the locker, X." Grian mumbled, "Who's with you?"

_"Ren and Scar. What's your code?"_

"25-05-17."

The locker opened with a click and Grian managed to get out.

"I'm lucky I'm as skinny as a twig. Otherwise I would've gotten hurt."

"What happened to you?" Ren asked, "Who shoved you in the locker?"

"I don't know his name. But he had a white hood, blue eyes, menacing smile-"

"Sam." Ren growled, "He has a history with new people and it's not happy."

"I can tell." 

The four then walked down the hall talking about their plans for the evening. Xisuma and Grian obviously had none, but they were planning on meeting up with Ren and Scar for homework night.

As they passed a corner, Sam stood behind it. Then started laughing at how Grian looked.

"Well maybe if you weren't so rude to people, you'd have more friends." Grian snarked, "Laughing at one's appearance isn't kind."

"If you haven't noticed, I am not kind. I am-"

"Rude, violent, threatening." Grian interrupted, "Just leave us be. C'mon guys, let's go get some coffee."

"Don't you walk away from me new kid." Sam growled as Grian turned away.

He stood in place and looked at Xisuma.

"Don't." Xisuma whispered, completely inaudible to everyone else. Though Grian ignored him. He unnoticeably used his powers to send Sam's own fist to his face. Xisuma punched him in the shoulder.

"You might wanna put ice on that, Sam." Grian sneered, "It might bruise."

"What just happened?" Ren asked, "That was very weird."

Xisuma and Grian said their lie, "I don't know, I guess he had some form of muscle spasm."

"O-okay..." Ren stuttered, "Uh, let's go."

As they left the campus, they all went out to get their coffee.

Twenty minutes later, Grian got a call.

"Oh shoot. It's mum." Grian said, then answered, "Hello mother."

_"Where are you two?"_

"I'm so sorry mum. We're with Ren and Scar at Starbucks getting coffee."

_"Are you serious right now?"_

"Uh, yeah... When do you want us home for dinner?"

_"In thirty minutes would be nice."_

"Yeah, we'll be there."

_"Okay, I'll see you in a bit then. Love you."_

"Love you too mum. Bye."

"What was that all about?" Xisuma asked, "That was a little odd."

"Oh, mum was just wondering on where we were. She wants us home in time for dinner which is in thirty minutes."

"A'ight. I guess we gotta get moving then."

"Yeah. We'll meet you guys at Scar's for homework?"

"Yeah! We'll see you then."

With that the two left quickly.

_~Twenty Minutes Later~_

The two siblings walked into the house rather silently, but not silently enough.

"There you two are!" Lyra said, "Hey, dessert. What do you two want?"

"What do we have?" The two asked in unison.

"Just name something."

The two boys looked at each other, "Strawberry cheesecake?"

"Sounds good. Go wash up."

As the two were putting things away and getting ready for dinner, Xisuma was slightly concerned.

"She seemed flustered, what do you think is going on?"

"I don't know. But we've not had a problem since we got here."

"Can we talk about what you did to Sam earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

"Grian you know exactly what I mean."

"Not all is fair."

"That doesn't mean you use your powers and make him punch himself in the face!"

"Xisuma, I'm not a pure angel. You know this, but I didn't need him doing that."

"Grian, using your powers can't fix everything."

"True, but as I said, not all is fair. But I'm not going to use my powers on him again. Kay?"

"Kay."

Grian was folding laundry when his mother knocked on his door, her head peeking slightly in the frame.

"Grian? Can we talk about something?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. What's up?" Grian said putting the laundry down, "You look pale. Are you okay?"

"Just... Uneasy. I wanted to know if _you_ are okay."

"I... Uh.. What-What do you mean?"

"Grian.." She sat beside him after shutting the door, "I found a broken razor in your room."

Grian almost flinched at the words, "Wh-what were you doing in my room?"

"I was looking for the file I gave you last week. But hun, are you okay? I mean, a broken razor is something I think I should bring up."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Peachy. What? Did you think I was cutting?

"Well... Kinda, Gri. You worry me sometimes and-"

"Mum, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me or my mental health right now. That broken blade, I broke in a fit of rage."

"Okay.. Let me know if you need anything. Okay?"

"I will." Grian said with a smile. Then after confirming he was gone, he took a breath of relief and looked to the ceiling.

_She can never know._

He rubbed his wrist then ignored it once more, knowing that he healed the wounds himself so that they wouldn't show.

On one hand he was glad the razor was gone. On another hand he knew that there was a problem and he needed to talk about it.

But he didn't want to.

Not yet.

_Shine like a diamond Grian. You're strong. You can fight those feelings and thoughts._

_It's gonna be fine._

_Everything is going to be fine._


	8. Night Wings

Within a few months, Grian thought of himself as completely clean.

This evening, the acapella group he was in had a performance tonight and he was getting ready for it.

_"Grian, c'mon! We need to go! You're gonna be late!"_

"Coming!" Grian shouted grabbing his sleeveless blue sequined vest off the edge of his bed then slid down the banister and landed on his feet. As he put on the vest Xisuma started chuckling at him, "What?"

"Your group loves sequin stuff."

Grian threw his hands up dramatically, "It makes me look fabulous!"

"Okay, let's go fabulous. Get in the car." Lyra said ruffling Grian's hair, "Don't forget your fedora."

"Yup!" Grian knew what was going to happen, but his family didn't, he was excited to show them what's gonna happen.

_~At The Performance~_

Grian was hooked up to a mic that hung on the side of his ear. As he walked out onto the stage, a spotlight shined on him and he waved to the crowd.

_"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Unfortunately our teacher couldn't make it tonight due to illness, we wish her well. We have quite the show for you tonight! Our show tonight is being broadcasted live on our social media page, Acapella Sharks. Our opening number being an upbeat tune, our middle two being slow, then our finale being another upbeat tune. Please look to your programs for the names."_

He looked more into the crowd before speaking once more.

_"My name is Grian, and this... Is acapella. Enjoy the show."_

The lights dimmed to black and Grian walked off stage.

As the show went on to the last song, Grian was called over while the group was off stage changing.

"What's going on?" Grian asked, "We're about to start the last number."

"That's the problem. Your duet singer is in the ER. He just texted me."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, but he won't be here for the last number. We don't know anyone who knows the part."

"Shoot... Uh, Acapellists! Gather 'round." Grian called standing on a chair getting their attention, "James can't make it to the show tonight. Does anyone know her part?"

"Ren does! He knows it inside and out!" Scar called out, "Plus it'll be a good way to get you two together."

"SCAR." Ren and Grian shouted, then Grian spoke singly, "Ren, can you please?"

"I.."

"C'mon Ren..."

"Let's do it!"

"Yes!" Grian shouted, and the group cheered, "Give me two minutes to talk to the audience and be ready. Okay?"

"You got it, G."

"Alright, let's hit it!"

Grian walked out to the front and pointed to the guy with the spotlight. It shined on him immediately.

_"A tragedy amongst our group tonight. Our next song being a duet, our male vocalist is unable to join us. We wish him well as he recovers. But taking his place tonight, is Ren Usoro. We hope you enjoy the song."_

He walked back off stage and got ready as the houselights completely dimmed out and it was dark.

When the group came on stage, everyone who wasn't Ren and Grian were on the ground. Ren and Grian on high platforms, waiting for the cue.

The two stood, feet shoulder width apart, hands folded in front of them, heads bowed to their chests. The room was near pitch black, then the beat began.

A blue light shined on Grian, he slowly lifted his head as he began the first verse.

_"Dance with me under the diamonds  
See me like breath in the cold  
Sleep with me here in the silence  
Come kiss me, silver and gold"_

Grian took a knee as a red spotlight shined on Ren, he looked at the man with a motion of his hand, gesturing him as Ren started the next verse.

**"You say that I won't lose you  
But you can't predict the future  
So, just hold on like you will never let go  
Yeah, if you ever move on without me  
I need to make sure you know"**

The two jumped to the stage as the rest of the stage lights turned on, Ren and Grian's red and blue lights still on the two. Grian held out his hands, and Ren gently took them as they began the chorus.

_**"That you are the only one I'll ever love  
(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)  
Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone  
(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)  
Looking back on my life, you're the only good I've ever done (ever done)  
Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone (anyone)  
Not anyone"** _

Grian's voice rang higher than Ren's on the fourth line as they finished the chorus. Ren spun Grian and continued to the next verse.

**"Forever's not enough time to** _**(**_ _** no) ** _   
**Love you the way that I want** _**(love you the way that I want)** _   
**'Cause every morning I find you** _**(no)** _   
**I fear the day that I don't"**

Ren dipped Grian, and he smiled as he sang;

_"You say that I won't lose you  
But you can't predict the future  
'Cause certain things are out of our control  
Yeah, if you ever move on without me  
I need to make sure you know"_

Grian's head laid on Ren's chest for a moment before they continued to the next verse and Grian moved out of the way, Ren and Grian's hands connected, but extended outwards to where Grian's body was being held away from his partner.

_**"That you are the only one I'll ever love  
Only one (I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)  
Yeah, you, if it's not you it's not anyone  
(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)  
Looking back on my life, you're the only good I've ever done (I've ever done)  
Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone  
It's not anyone, not anyone"** _

On the fifth line, Grian sat on his knees, to continue the chorus with Ren.

_**" Oh, oh, oh, oh  
If it's not you, it's not anyone  
Oh, oh, oh yeah, whoa"** _

Ren picked Grian up, tossed him in the air then caught him bridal style as they continued the last chorus. Grian stared into Ren's eyes as they finished.

_**"Yeah, you are the only one I'll ever love  
(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya)  
Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone  
(I gotta tell ya, gotta tell ya) gotta tell ya  
Looking back on my life, you're the only good I've ever done (ever done, oh, yeah)  
Yeah, you, if it's not you, it's not anyone"** _

The mics cut off and the lights dimmed out. The audience stood and applauded.

Ren put Grian down and stepped to the side as the red and blue spotlights shined on them.

Grian gestured to Ren with a smile, who took a bow. Ren repeated the same gesture and bowed. They both turned enough to gesture the rest of the group, who all also bowed, accepting the applause, then they all bowed together and walked off stage.

Grian walked back onstage after taking off his vest.

He took a breath before he spoke,

_"Thank you all for coming to the show! We hope to see you at the next one. Parents, the group will be out in the main lobby in five minutes, thank you."_

He walked back to the backstage and everyone cheered for Ren and Grian.

"Okay, what is all this?" Grian chuckled, "It wasn't that great."

"Grian, it was perfect, even you know that." Ren snarked, "Also they're all playing matchmaker. It's painfully obvious."

"True." Grian said with a finger point, "So what're-"

He was hushed instantly with a kiss, and the acapellists shouted and shrieked.

Then suddenly Grian's phone vibrated.

"What on... Oh no." Grian chuckled nervously.

_Acapella Sharks GC_

_Serine: **sent a photo 8:25 PM**_

_Capella: Well, I guess I need to pair you two up more often for duets then._

_Grian: Oh no.. *Nervous Chuckles*_

_Ren: Oh yes. *Confident Chuckles*_

Grian looked up, "Shut up Ren."

"No!"

Grian rolled his eyes and took off the mic, "Whatever, c'mon."

Every member of the group walked out, Scar, Ren and Grian all together side by side talking about the performance.

"I told you that you two were a perfect match!" Scar taunted, Grian punched him in the arm, "OW."

"You deserve that." Grian chuckled, his sequined vest hung over his left arm, "Quit playing matchmaker with everyone."

"Yeah, because Xisuma'll have your hide." Ren chuckled, "He's not as goofy and G."

"What's the worse Xisuma can do?"

"A lot." Grian simply said, "A lot more than you think."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing to worry your sweet little head about."

"Grian!" Scar shouted, and Grian bolted, dodging past many people in the hall then stopping when he crashed into someone.

"Sor-" Grian started then stopped immediately and took a step back, "No.."

"Grian?" Ren and Scar asked as they got up to him, "Grian are you okay?"

"I- Yeah. Yeah. I'm... I'm okay. Sorry for bumping into you."

The man stared at Grian. And Grian felt his soul be pierced, "Oh it's quite alright, kid. Watch where you're going next time. Okay?"

"Y-yes sir..."

He left, and Grian stood almost paralyzed with fear.

"Grian?" Scar said, "Hey, Earth to Grian, come in Grian."

"I.. Sorry. I'm fine. I'm okay."

"Grian, did you know that man?"

"Well, yes an-and no. It-It's a complicated story."

After about twenty minutes the Void family, Ren, and Scar were all at a restaurant getting something to eat after the show.

"The way you threw Grian into the air was amazing." Lyra said, "Grian said you were strong, but I didn't think you were _that_ strong."

"Ah, well, it's surprising what happens when you rehearse someone else's part in case something bad happened to them." Ren chuckled, "But it was great."

"It really was. It's almost like I could feel your soul light up as you spun me around." Grian added, "I personally loved it."

"You all were great." Xisuma said, "Makes me kinda jealous."

"Jealous that I'm fabulous and you're not?" Grian chuckled.

"Grian." Orion warned, "Not here."

Grian put his hands up in fake surrender and the group continued to talk and laugh about events and the show.

Then suddenly Grian and Xisuma both pulled a hand to their throat.

"Grian? Xisuma?" Lyra asked, "Are you two okay?"

"What's going on with them?" Ren asked.

"I can't.. I can't breathe.." Grian gasped then he and Xisuma both fell to the ground unable to move.

"Grian! X!" The family shouted, Scar and Ren by Grian, the parents by Xisuma.

_"Step away from the boys."_


	9. The Brother Returns

_"Step away from the boys."_

Every person that wasn't Grian and Xisuma looked up at the assailant.

_"Leave."_

The group refused to move. The assailant threw back Grian's parents, leaving Scar and Ren standing.

The assailant walked up to Grian and put his hand around his neck, freeing Grian's airways.

"What... what do you want from me?" Grian asked.

He moved close to Grian's ear, "I want your heart. But you know that already."

"Please... Let me go.."

"Not going to happen, resistless."

The assailant released his hold and the world went completely dark.

When Grian woke up next he felt a hand on his shoulder, Grian groaned and sat up, or at least attempted too.

"Don't."

Grian rolled to his back and looked at the person speaking to him.

"Ren?"

"Yeah, don't sit up. Whatever you reacted to is still working its way through your system."

"Poison. It was poison." Grian said, then focused his sight with a flash of purple and sat up, "What I need is to sit up."

The immediate thing Grian noticed, was that he recognized this place.

"What happened to you?" Scar asked walking up to the two.

"You're here too?" Grian asked, "Who else? That poison doesn't effect humans, they effect.."

Grian stopped talking, realizing he almost blew his identity.

"They effect what?"

"I'm not what you think I am." Grian said, "I've had enough hiding."

"Grian, what is going on?" Ren asked, "What do you mean hiding?"

Grian took a deep breath, "Promise me you won't be mad?"

"Grian, just tell us."

"Have you ever heard of Watchers?"

"No, what's a Watcher?"

"A Watcher is a being powerful than an angel." Grian explained, "One percent of Watchers are considered valuable and rare because of what's in their chest. I'm in that one percent."

"Okay... So then what's so important that they had to poison you?"

"I have an angel heart. Which means I'm wanted for experimentation, dissection, and repopulation for Watchers made as weapons. They take my blood and modify it enough to... To.. To-"

Ren hushed him with a hug, "Shh, we're understanding."

Grian pulled away and stood, "C'mere. Let me show you something."

He guided the two under the leaves, to the near end of the room.

"This habitat was made by Watchers themselves." Grian explained, then lifted a leaf, "Cub tracks. Mine and Xisuma's."

"What?"

"I have shapeshifting powers. I can turn into any animal I please. My particular favourite is the lion. Welcome to the Watcher realm. My brother and I have always been hunted here. It's why we left and went to your guy's world. Protection and shelter."

"How old were you?"

"Five. I was five when I was kidnapped with Xisuma." Grian then turned to walk away.

"That's.."

"Traumatizing, Ren. Extremely traumatizing. It's why I acted so weird when I bumped into that guy after the show. That guy was one of the scientists."

A few hours later, Grian laid on a branch in his lion form, halfway asleep when the door suddenly opened.

"Come out, come out, little kitty."

Grian started snarling as he sat up in the tree.

The person who walked in saw Grian's glowing purple eyes in the tree.

"There you are." He whispered to himself and loaded a tranquilizer shooter, then shot Grian in the throat. he walked through the leaves and dragged Grian out by his mane.

With the tranquilizer not strong enough to keep him subdued for hours on end, Grian woke up within twenty minutes and he noticed he was on a table.

_"Sit him up."_

Grian snarled and almost roared at the hands coming near him.

"Oh, he's awake. I'll give you two scenarios, you can cooperate and no hands would touch you forcibly, or we forcibly hold you down."

Grian sat himself up and growled at the scientists. That's all he could do with the custom lion muzzle.

He let his captors and scientists inject multiple liquids into his legs. He soon grew too weak to do anything, not even stand. The Watcher mark on the upper half of his left front leg began pulsing as he laid back down, his tail hung still over the right side of the table.

_"De-muzzle him and take him back to the habitat with his friends, Siren."_

_"Yes sir."_

He felt the muzzle be taken off then hands under him, being put into a crate.

_~!!!~_

Scar just woke up, "Ren! Grian's missing!"

"What!?" Ren shouted, then the door suddenly opened.

_"Away from the door."_ The person demanded, Ren and Scar both moved to the wall as the person opened the door to the crate and dragged Grian out.

Scar covered his mouth and turned away, Ren put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ren stared as the woman made sure Grian was out then left.

Ren stared in horror as he saw Grian not move at all.

"Grian... Move, please." Ren whispered, he then walked over to him, he sat on his knees, not afraid to touch him because he knew that Grian wouldn't harm him. He noticed the mark on his left arm pulsing, "Grian?"

Grian looked at Ren with bright purple eyes. His pupils dilated beyond recognition.

"I thought your eyes were blue?" Ren asked, "How are they purple now?"

Grian didn't say anything, he stood on shaking legs then limped to a tree.

"Grian, you're limping."

"Terrific observation, Ren." Grian said then jumped into the tree he was in before and got comfortable in the branch. Grian could feel his heart pounding in his chest, he could feel his lungs wheezing with every breath, his hope of escaping dwindling every second.

"Grian, how are we going to get out of here?" Scar asked trying to create conversation.

"There is no 'getting out'." Grian mumbled, "The only reason you two are here is because they don't know what you are. But they don't want to harm you two because they know I'll kill them."

"You kill?"

"Not anymore. But it's something you have to do to survive here."

Grian's right front leg hung over the branch limply. Ren and Scar looked at each other with worry.

Then Grian felt the branch he was on wobbling.

"What are you two doing?" Grian asked, "This branch is too weak to hold us all."

"Grian, it isn't." Ren said, "C'mon, get up to the top of the tree with us."

The branch was moving again, Ren and Scar moving up to the top. They waited for Grian to move, listening for the rustling of leaves. They heard the rustling seconds later. Within the next few moments, Grian's head popped through the leaves, then he laid between the two.

"So what's with the mark on your left arm?"

"Mark of the Watchers." Grian said, "It pulses when my powers are off balance."

"So that's why it's pulsing."

"Yeah."

"While being in an animal form... Is it possible you'd go-"

"Wild?" Grian interrupted, "It is possible, but I tend to control those animal instincts."

A while later, the door opened again. Grian snarled at the person and stood.

_"Grian?"_

Grian knew the voice, and he stopped immediately.

"Xayther?"

He looked to the tree to see Grian standing.

"Hey, little brother."


	10. It's Not Brotherly Love If You Try To Kill Him

Grian stood still as he watched his brother stare at him.

"Little brother, come down from there."

"No, you'll Lion King me."

"What does that- Y'know what, I don't want to know." Xayther said, "Come down here a moment."

"I'd rather stay in the tree if it's all the same to you." Grian said, swinging his tail in a defensive motion, "I can't trust a lot of people."

"Grian, I'm your brother."

"I'm aware. But I'm scared."

"Grian, I'm your big brother. I would never hurt you, you know that."

"That dart gun in your hand says different."

_Why do you have to make this difficult?_ Xayther thought, then he spoke, "Grian, I'm sorry."

He aimed it at Grian and shot the dart. Only for it to miss him completely because he jumped down from the tree.

"Shit." Xayther hissed, "Where did you go..?"

He loaded another dart, then heard Grian snarling.

"I hear you, brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are you sweet little cub."

Grian came out of the forest themed habitat and tackled Xayther to the ground causing the gun to fly across the room.

"I'm not a cub." Grian growled, "What do they want with me? And why are _you_ a part of it!?"

"I've not had a choice in this."

"How can I believe that?! I've been told so many things that aren't true."

Xayther threw Grian off of him, "Look, Grian. You're strong, I get that. And you're scared, I know. Just let me shoot you with that thing and I'll leave."

"NO!"

"You've brought this on yourself then." Xayther turned into his own form of lion. His coat was completely black and he was twice as big as Grian.

The two fought, swing after swing. Claw after claw.

Grian was overpowered, because the next thing he knew, there was a claw mark over his Watcher mark, blood coming from each cut, painting the golden fur purple. He limped on the leg as the two circled each other.

"Grian, just give in."

"No, mum taught me to be a fighter."

"She isn't your mother."

"She's the only mother I know." Grian growled, as he didn't realize how close the two were to the gun.

Xayther, pinned Grian to the ground, putting all his weight on top of Grian's shoulders, then turned his right hand human and grabbed the gun.

Grian was powerless to stop him, as he felt what was in the gun pierce his shoulder, the weight lifting up, then a crackle of magic.

He laid there, limp. Unable to move. Unable to protect himself as his world slowly turned black.

Ren and Scar stared in fright, not moving from the spot they were in as Xayther walked out.

"Is this really what he goes through here? It's hell!"

"Ren, we can't say anything. But this is frightening."

"We need to see what they put in him."

"There's no way of telling. Neither one of us in in medical."

Ren wasn't taking no for an answer. He jumped from the tree and walked carefully towards Grian.

"Scar, come down here." Ren called, "He's bleeding."

"Well it's not like he was just in a fight with his older bro-"

"In three places, Scar. He's got a bite wound on his neck, on his upper arm over that mark, and one across his chest."

"That doesn't sound good." Scar said climbing down safely and making his way towards the two, "He looks like he's dying."

Ren shrugged, then felt Grian twitch.

Grian felt a hand on his right shoulder where the dart used to be, like a feral animal, he jumped away from it.

"Oh geez!" Ren shouted, "Grian, are you okay?"

Grian didn't say words, only snarled at the two in front of him, not being able to recognize them. The biggest thing he could register is the pain in every part of his body.

 _"G-Grian?"_ Ren stuttered, his words only registering as static in Grian's mind. Ren went to reach out to Grian to calm him down, but noticed too late when Grian's eyes went fully black and he swung at him.

Ren quickly pulled his arm away and held it close to his body, almost screamed in pain.

"Ow, what the hell!?" Ren shouted, "Ouch..."

Scar looked at the scratch mark, "Oh that's... Deep. Ren are you okay?"

"NO I'M NOT OKAY."

Meanwhile, Grian stood in place then felt his consciousness coming back to him, the words the two spoke becoming clearer.

"Ren, just take a breath." Scar said having him sit down, "Ren, breathe. You're going to be fine."

"What's going..." Grian started, then saw Ren's arm, "Ren! Oh my gosh, Ren I am so sorry."

"Grian, stop." Ren said keeping him away from him, "You've done enough."

"Ren, I'm sorry! That wasn't me!" Grian said turning human, "Ren, let me help you. I can heal you."

"Grian, stop!" Ren shouted, "I don't want your help."

"Well, I got bad news for you." Grian protested gently grabbing Ren's arm, "I'm healing this whether you like it or not."

Grian healed Ren's wound, he refused to heal his own, but he made sure that even the scars were healed on him, and after Ren quickly fell to sleep.

"Grian, what is wrong with you?!" Scar snapped, "I thought you could control your animal tendencies!"

"That wasn't me. I don't know what that was but it wasn't me." Grian protested, "I wasn't in my right mind. It's like everything went completely black and I just became... Animalistic."

"Is Ren going to be okay?"

"Ren's going to be fine. It takes a lot of energy to heal so he's just going to be tired."

When the door opened once more, Grian stood and walked over.

"What do you want now?"

"With me now. Cub." The captor said, "We have plans for you."


	11. What You're Seeing Isn't Real

When Grian was taken away, he was brought immediately somewhere to where he was restrained.

Grian groaned at the way too tight straps against his wrists and ankles. Two scientists walked up to him and forcibly held his head still as another walked up to him and put some form of collar around his neck.

He heard the collar beep, lock and felt maybe fifty tiny needle like things stab into his neck. He gasped at the sudden pain as he felt the sharp items attach themselves to his nerves.

The two scientists released their hold immediately and Grian immediately started struggling against the straps. A loud beep with a blue light was heard through the collar, piercing Grian's hearing and stopping all his movements immediately.

He felt paralyzed in his own body. He couldn't move _at all._

The main scientist started snickering, "It works perfectly. Now to put it to a different test."

He looked at the others, "Put him in habitat two. It's time to put him to the ultimate test."

Hands were on him as he was led to stand, they didn't move immediately. He saw someone walk up with a wire latch thing and he knew something was immediately wrong.

He saw the quick flash of a red light, then his shape forcibly changing. He felt his neck and spine cracking and popping as his body was forced to change into his lion form. He took a terrified, shuddering breath.

_How is this possible? How can they force a change? How can they-_

"Take him away to habitat two. We'll observe from there."

"Observe?" Grian asked but was grabbed and pulled away. He didn't fight them, he walked with them trying to process what had just happened.

As he was brought into the habitat, the wire was caught on the collar choking him for a moment then leaving his neck immediately. The door shut violently, then hissed with the airlock, sealing the door shut immediately.

He moved backwards away from the door. Nothing was processing correctly. When he tried changing back, he quickly realized that he couldn't. He heard rustling amongst the leaves and turned to it.

The room went dark and he could see yellow and blue blinking lights and purple eyes.

They blinked once.

Then twice.

Then disappeared completely.

He suddenly felt warm liquid running down his spine and a sharp pain. It almost made him fall onto his right leg.

He could still feel the pain in his front left leg, the bite mark and the cut on his chest. It was all almost completely disorientating.

When his body was shoved to the ground, a paw stood against the side of his head and he could feel the claws breaking the skin.

He recognized the snarl and realized it was Xisuma.

"Xisuma, what're you doing?! Let me up!"

With Grian and Xisuma being relatively the same weight, the were almost evenly matched. He threw Xisuma off of him and stood.

His tail swung in a defensive motion as he heard the collar beep. But it wasn't his, it was Xisuma's. Grian felt a restriction around his neck, the collar pulsing against his skin and fur.

Xisuma caught Grian off guard and made the claw marks over Grian's Watcher mark deeper.

Inside Xisuma's head, all he could hear was static. Nothing registered as words. 

The only thing he thought, was that he was in danger. The Watcher mark was the trigger for him. He feared the mark. Thought of it as a threat to his life.

No matter the words Grian spoke, they didn't register in his mind as words.

He attacked nonstop.

He didn't stop.

Grian was covered in cuts and he had started to get dizzy from blood loss. He didn't know what was happening to Xisuma.

When Xisuma attacked Grian for the last time, he swiped upwards at him with full force, pushing Grian backwards.

He smelled the metallic scent of blood as it streamed down his eye and face.

He closed his eye tight as he fell to the ground, unconsciousness taking over him quickly.

After a minute or so the lights came back on, a scientist walked in pressing a button on a remote to force him to move away from the unconscious lion on the ground.

The scientist smiled at the suffering of Grian then took out a small communication device.

"Have him prepped for experimentation for tomorrow evening. Release the two humans and take Xelqua back to habitat one."

_"Right away sir."_

The scientist then glanced at Xisuma and pressed another button, then the collar released a gas that put Xisuma to sleep.


	12. Scars

Grian woke up in a daze. As he woke with a cough, he felt a hand suddenly on him and he jumped. 

"Grian, are you okay?" 

"No.." Grian mumbled, then shakily got up, "I can't change back, I can't heal, I can't do anything with this stupid collar on." 

"Grian, your eye." Scar gasped, "Can you see?" 

"Yeah, but it's blurry." Grian said then limped to the running water coming out of the wall to wash off the drying blood, "I seriously just want to go home, guys. I want to go back to enjoying what I do."

As he walked out of the running water, he shook off and walked back to the two normal humans.

"What can we do?" Ren asked, "I mean-"

"Nothing." Grian said laying down on the grass, "You can't do anything without being watched."

"Grian, you're hurt. May I look at your neck?" Scar asked, "I mean you haven't had any help."

"Watcher scientists don't care about the well being of Watchers with angel hearts." Grian mumbled, then set his head down against his paws, "Go ahead."

"I might not know much about medical things right now, but I know when there's damage to a neck." Scar said carefully putting both hands on Grian's neck, moving them slowly around. Grian let out a loud yelp when Scar's hands touched a really sensitive spot, "Sorry."

Scar moved the fur on Grian's neck and gasped, "Grian, you have a large, deep, and bruised wound on your neck."

"I don't wanna know how." Grian mumbled trying not to flinch, "This collar is preventing me from using any of my powers."

Scar continued working his way around Grian's neck when the door opened. All three of them looked up and two men grabbed Scar and Ren. Grian got up and tried attacking, only for the collar to send a shock of electricity through his veins then something throwing him outwards away from the people and he laid limp on the ground with a whine to be heard at his throat.

"Nuh uh uh. None of that." The main scientist growled as he kneeled to Grian's ear, "Don't struggle."

"Grian! Grian, are you o-" Ren's shouts were muffled with a hand to his mouth.

"Take them away." The scientist demanded, "Take them back to their player world."

The two guards nodded then took Scar and Ren away. The commanding scientist started running his hands down Grian's side after paralyzing his nerves.

"What if they tell my parents where I am? What's your plan then?" Grian asked, his voice weak and gravelly, "My folks will kill you."

"Oh sweet innocent Xelqua." They said, then revealed themselves, 

_"_ _I am your mother."_


	13. Family "Bonding"

"I don't know you." Grian said shakily, "I don't know who you are."

"Oh, sweet thing. I left you with the Voids because I knew they'd train you to be a fighter. What I didn't expect was for them to take you to a player world." Then she brought out the same small device, and spoke through it, "Hemmers, take Xelqua to the prep room. It's time to experiment."

She patted Grian's head twice then got up and left.

_~Five minutes later~_

Grian's legs were strapped down tightly as he laid on his side. His breathing was light and slightly steady.

The lights in the room were bright almost directly in his eyes. Not being able to move only made his panic grow. He couldn't see any straight figures, only a blurry person-like figure.

A hand was put softly against his upper arm, spreading the fur then inserting something sharp into it. Then he felt something cold going into his bloodstream.

_"Do you want to explain to me why we're putting an IV in his front leg if we're experimenting on him?"_

_"He's no good to us dead, Hemmers. Get the serum. We won't be putting him to sleep yet. We need to see how his body reacts to this serum first. Then we'll make sure the rest of his organs are all angelic by inserting the other cub's blood into them. Simple, really."_

_"Aurora, the brother is on the opposite table, unconscious and ready for blood extraction."_

_"Good..."_ Aurora said looking into her son's eye, _"Take three pints out of him, three out of Xelqua. Then I'll administer the serum."_

The next thing Grian knew, there was a sharp pain in his stomach.

Roughly half an hour later, Grian began feeling more than dizzy. He felt weak, tired, short of breath, almost unable to keep his eyes open.

Then there was more cold liquid running into his bloodstream. It made him want to scream.

The liquid may have been cold, but it _burned._ It was a little more than intense for him to handle. His entire body seized and he started making small, strained noises, unable to catch his breath.

He felt like he was choking on _nothing._

A prisoner of torture.

Grian's claws all extended out at once and he could vaguely hear the sound of pens and pencils writing against papers and boards.

_"Good. Good. Alright, put him to sleep."_

_"He won't survive the hour."_

_"He will. I'll make sure of it."_


	14. Motherly Instincts

Immediately when Ren and Scar were thrown back into their world, the two looked at each other with fright.

"This is so bad." Scar mumbled, "We need to get to the Void's. They're the only people who can help Grian and Xisuma."

"Good idea. Because they'll totally know where to go!" Ren almost screamed, "Plus we don't even know where we are!"

"WE'RE LITERALLY IN CENTRAL PARK." Scar pointed to the sign at the corner, "There is _literally_ a sign right there."

"Oh... Uh, then the Void's aren't far from here. C'mon."

"Maybe when we get back, you can take a shower. You smell."

"So do you, Scar. We've been in captivity for three days."

They both quickly made their way down to the house they needed. When they were in view of the Void house, they saw Orion outside almost pacing.

"Mr. Void!" Ren shouted running up to him, "Mr. Void."

"Ren!" Orion shouted, "What's going on? How did you two get back?"

"Those Watcher scientist things let us go and now Grian's in danger."

"Grian's always in danger. But now that you two are here that can't be good." Orion's panic started to rise, "Lyra! Lyra, I think I know where Grian and Xisuma are."

"What are you talking about?" Lyra asked when he ran in with Ren and Scar, "Ren, Scar! You-You're alive!"

"Of coarse we're alive. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Watchers exist. That's why. Anyways, Orion, what're you going on about?"

"The scientists."

That's all she had to hear before walking to a painting and removing it to reveal a safe.

"Oh no. No, no, no." Orion warned, "There's no way I'm letting you go to the Watcher realm alone with a Watcher gun."

"Ren, Scar go home. We're going to save our kids." Lyra said, her tone was frighteningly strict but calm, "Grian and Xisuma need both of us."

"Are you crazy!?"

"Very, where do you think Grian gets his insanity?"

"That's fair."

They gave Scar and Ren a ride to their homes then made sure that they weren't seen creating a portal into the Watcher realm.

As they walked through, Lyra immediately felt all three of her children's energy signatures.

"They're here. All three of them." Lyra said, "Grian's weak though."

"How weak and how the heck can you tell?" Orion asked, "That's ridiculous."

"Call it mother's intuition, Orion."

They walked through the realm carefully. Lyra followed the energy strength of Xisuma specifically because she knew that he and Grian were in the same building at the least. But it didn't help her worry.

Grian is her child. Blood or not. She raised him. He's one of their own. He, Xisuma, and Xayther were all held close to his heart. No matter how troublesome they were.

Lyra was frightened to say the least. She wanted... _Needed_ to make sure her kids were okay.

_Grian's been through so much in the past._

_I desperately hope he's okay._

_I don't even want to think of what he's going through with those scientists._

_All those unhealthy conditions._

_The filth._

_It's all so unsanitary._

_I can't imagine how scared he is right now._

_I can't imagine how scared Xisuma is right now._

_Taken at five years old by the same people._

_Now they're gone again._

_When I get them back..._

_**I'm never letting them go.** _


	15. Everything Can Go Wrong

Aurora was staring at a monitor as she injected Xisuma's angel blood into Grian's organs one by one. Grian's body subconsciously tried to heal, but with the collar attached to Grian's nerves in his neck, every power he had was shut off, apart from his shapeshifting, but she forced Grian to stay in that lion form.

"What's the plan when the parents come for him?"

"What are you talking about, Hemmers?" Aurora groaned watching as the monitor showed the organ turned angel, "It's time to start extracting. The Voids won't get in here alive."

"What are we taking out?"

"Left kidney. Now that it's pure angelic, it'll sell greatly in the black market. Stitch the brother up and put him back in his habitat, I'm going to stay with Xelqua and take out the kidney."

While she was taking out the organ, Hemmers started asking her questions, "Why are we taking the kidney out of him while he's a lion and not a human?"

"Because the Angelic lion kidneys are selling better than human ones. I don't know what it is with the Void's and lions, but it's helpful."

"Y'know, Xelqua is rather cute. It's a shame he'll die here."

"Don't say things like that. I may be evil, but I'm his mother."

"He doesn't consider you to be."

"That's a good thing. Because he doesn't need to think that he's being betrayed by someone he loves."

"Well it's a good thing he doesn't love you then."

"The kid doesn't even know me. That's just how I like my victims."

She continued taking out the kidney, she made quick work of the procedure, taking it out with no care then placing it into an ice chest.

"Alright. Put it in the freezer and contact our superior."

She then began to stitch up the open wound.

Grian made a whine.

"Shh... You'll live. Assuming that you don't die of blood loss."

The instruments she was using made a clank on the table.

"Take him to his habitat. Make sure he has food."

"What?"

"I'm evil. Not a monster."

"Well..."

"I will kill you. Go. Take care of him. Make sure the brother has the same food." Aurora went to clean the things she was using on Grian.

_I'm hoping the Void's come for their sweet little boys. It's the only way they'll survive._

_~!!!~_

Lyra and Orion both made sure that there were Watcher protectors with them.

"So you're telling us that your two sons have been kidnapped and you only believe they're here?"

"I don't believe it Xanthus, I know it." Lyra said, she stared him in the eye, "Xayther moved out five years ago. So Grian and Xisuma are my primary worry."

"Very well, sister." Xanthus said almost with a groan, "Y'know, I have never seen a mother lose her kids twice."

"Xanthus, our mother lost us to kidnappers five times. I'm not as bad as mother."

"I don't understand why a mother of your kind can lose their kids to the same people twice."

"It wasn't the same people!"

"Lyra."

"Okay, fine. Just stay with us and help us find them."

"That's why I'm here, sis. Let's go."

When Xanthus's phone went off he immediately looked at the message.

_Frost: Xanthus, we just got word of a pick up order. Be on the look out for a black van, plate number NVH45_

_Xan: You got it. Any word on those kids?_

_Frost: The kids should be with that order. Find the van, you find the kids. Call for backup if you need it._

_Xan: Yes sir._

"Frost just got word of a shipment heading to pickup something. Come with me, we'll locate the van rather quickly."

The three headed straight to the traffic camera room and Xanthus typed in the plate number.

Thirty seconds later, a hit was given on the van. They followed every camera until it stopped inside an alley.

"I know where that is. There's a good chance they might be dead." Xanthus said, Lyra slapped him over the head, "Ow."

"Xanthus, don't test your luck."

"Sorry, sheesh. C'mon. Let's go."

_~!!!~_

It felt like hours before Grian fully woke up, but then again, he was still completely out of it. When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was inside the habitat once more and there was a plate of food a couple feet in front of him. He attempted to lift his head, but his muscles were still asleep, so his head fell back on top of his paws and he fell back to sleep.

In his mind, nothing registered correctly. He was frightened, but his brain wouldn't register any emotion or feeling other than complete exhaustion.

When he finally gained the consciousness to stand, he didn't feel like he could eat anything.

He laid there.

Tired.

Weak.

Scared.

The intercom inside the room boomed, almost throwing him into a trance.

_"You're such a good little Watcher. So compliant with everything."_

"I'm only compliant because of this stupid collar."

_"Either way, Xelqua. You should probably regenerate your blood cells. We have more things to do with you soon."_

Grian groaned and rested his head on his paws. Just wanting to see his family.

He wanted to see Xisuma.

He wanted to see Lyra and Orion.

Time registered as nothing. He'd no idea how long he'd been there. No idea when he'd go home, or _if_ he'd go home.

He wanted to be safe.

He heard shouting at one point but paid no attention to it.

_~!!!~_

Lyra, Orion, and Xanthus all ran through the halls, people shouting at them from behind.

"We need to find Grian and Xisuma!"

"Lyra! I found him." Orion shouted looking through a window, "He's in here. He doesn't look too good."

"Open the door."

Xanthus overrode the system lock and got the door open, then shut it behind them, cutting the lights to the room, making the one-way mirror useless.

Lyra moved to Grian slowly and cautiously.

"Grian? Baby?" She said, then touched Grian's head softly.

But Grian jumped backwards, scared at the touch.

He cowered to a corner as the person walked up to him slowly, his stitches slowly coming undone causing extra pain. 

"Grian, baby, it's okay." Lyra said, "It's okay, it's mum."

Grian moved closer to the wall until he couldn't get any closer.

"Grian, breathe. It's me. You know me." Lyra said, "We all see the same sunset, Grian. Every morning, a star shines bright to signify a new life. You're okay." 

He moved close to the ground, Lyra gently moved her hand down his spine, not putting any pressure against him. She could feel him trembling, flinching with every touch.

"C'mon honey. You know me. The sun sets for a brighter day."

"Lyra, he's scared." Xanthus said, "He's traumatized. I mean look at him. His ear is cut, he's covered in blood, there's stitches on his side, he's unsteady on his feet, he's all scarred up... The best thing we can do for him right now is to leave him alone."

"Xanthus, I swear to Void." Lyra threatened, "He's not a feral animal."

"Lyra-"

"Xanthus, that's enough. Grian may be scared, but he knows who I am."

"Does he?"

Lyra looked at Grian, she sat beside him. She wanted his attention.

He was trembling, it seemed like there would be no stop to it.

She slowly moved her hand to his left paw, reached out a finger and started stroking in slowly.

"It's me, angel." Her voice was calm to his ears, as she spoke more, Grian lifted his head, "Hey angel.."

With her voice frighteningly calm, Grian's senses finally came to him and he rested his head on her thigh.

"Huh, I guess he isn't completely gone."

"One more smart remark from you and I'll throw you out the window." Lyra threatened running her hand down Grian's head and neck soothingly, "We need to get him out of here."

"He won't walk with us though."

"I don't think it's that he won't. I think it's that he can't. Orion, you have immense strength. Carry him."

"Lyra, I want him to come with us too, but I don't want to hurt him." Orion said kneeling beside the two resting his hand on Grian's stomach, "He's too hurt."

Feeling him breathing, he noticed something, "Something isn't right."

"What?"

"I don't know, but something isn't right."

"Orion, Lyra!" Xanthus shouted, "This is sweet and all, but we need to get out of here and find Xisuma."

"I'm not leaving him."

"No one said we were." Xanthus said, "He's smart, he's strong. He can figure it out."

Lyra looked back at Grian, then slightly lifted his head, "Grian, baby, I need you to come with us. Please."

He pulled away silently and stood, then walked them out to the other habitats. He once more sat against the wall and waited for them to walk out with Xisuma, Orion stayed beside Grian, making sure that he'd be okay.

Lyra and Xanthus walked out with Xisuma in Xanthus's arms.

"How are you-"

"He is very light. I don't think they've been fed since they've been kidnapped."

"That's dangerous. Let's go."

The adults made quick haste, but Grian followed slightly slower than them.

Limp. _Pain._ Limp. _Pain._ Limp. _Pain._ Limp. _Pain._ Floor.

Orion looked back, "Grian!"

He ran to him, kneeling beside him, "Grian, Grian, c'mon."

Grian looked to the left, "D-dad... danger.."

"I know there's danger. I need you to get up."

"No.. You.. You-"

**_BANG!_ **


	16. Strength For A Heart

When Orion fell, Grian strained a whine and limped over to him and rested his head on his chest. Feeling his head rise and fall as Orion breathed. His eyes closed as he felt Orion's hand move over his neck, comforting him, _calming_ him.

"ORION!" Lyra shouted, but as she turned to walk over someone took a warning shot.

_"Take one more step, and Xelqua dies too."_

Grian opened his eyes to see someone to his left aiming a gun capable of perma-killing any watcher. But his attention to it fell away immediately because he nuzzled his head under Orion's chin and closed his eyes once more.

Aurora grimaced at the sight of Grian laying on Orion.

"Fatherly love. Now it's gone." She looked at Xanthus, "Xanthus, put the cub down."

He carefully laid Xisuma on the ground and got back up slowly, pressing a button on his chest piece to signal for help unknowingly.

"Grian and Xisuma are innocent in this. Leave them alone." Lyra growled, "You don't control them."

"With this remote, I do."

Lyra glared at her and used her own powers to grab the remote and pressed a button on it that released the collars on Grian and Xisuma's necks.

Grian heard a small hiss from the collar and his nerves being released.

"Leave my boys alone." Lyra growled, "You come near me, or my kids one more time, and I will not hesitate to shoot you."

"Not if I shoot you first." Aurora threatened then pointed the weapon at Lyra. Grian looked up, then used his own powers to manipulate the bullets after they were shot. Throwing them into Aurora's body.

When Aurora fell to the ground, Grian closed his eyes once more and looked away. He couldn't feel Orion breathing anymore, but the thought didn't register with him.

"That's my boy." Lyra said with a slight chuckle, then ran over to him and Orion while Xanthus stayed with Xisuma, "Gri?"

She ran her hand over Grian's head and neck. She felt him twitch for a moment, then sirens were heard. She ignored them and walked to Grian's side.

"C'mon, Grian..." She put her hands under him, "We need to go."

With how light Grian was, she had no trouble picking him up and moving him earning a whine of protest from him.

"Mum..."

"Hey, shh... You're going to be okay. You and Xisuma both are going to be okay."

When people burst through the door, they called people in to gather the bodies. Then medical Watchers were looking at Grian and Xisuma.

Hours later, Grian woke up in a room completely unfamiliar to him. He'd been laid on his side. His knees were up almost to his chest, one arm under his chin, the other extended outward. He heard voices, but he couldn't tell whose they were.

He made a small noise to alert them of his consciousness.

A soft hand was on his shoulder, then a face in front of his eyes.

"M--um.." Grian's voice jumped, almost inaudible as he tried to speak, "Xi--ma..."

"Xisuma is okay, honey."

"Da--ad."

"Grian, honey, I'll tell you when you're more conscious, okay? You need to rest." Lyra assured, she didn't want to frighten him, she ran her hand through his hair, "You're still really weak. You're needing a lot of fluids and rest, okay?"

Grian only made a small noise as she went to stroke his cheek with a single finger, then he fell asleep again.

_Oh Grian..._

_You poor thing..._

_You're too innocent for this world._

_You can't go through this again._

_I can't almost lose you to something like this again._

_You're my baby, whether you know it or not._

_I just need you to heal..._

_Get your strength back._

_Stay with me Grian._

_You and Xisuma both, need to stay with me._


	17. Family Is Family

A day passes, Lyra is talking to Xisuma while Grian was still asleep.

"I can't believe dad is dead.." Xisuma said then took a breath, "It's hard to believe."

"Grian didn't want to leave him." Lyra explained, "He didn't want me to move him. I don't even think Grian knew what was happening. He looked completely out of it. It scared me when he used his powers to redirect the bullets."

"Well, then he wasn't completely out of it. He had to have at least a little sensibility if he was able to protect you like that."

"True, but the way he reacted, no emotions, no nothing."

"With those collars we couldn't feel anything." Xisuma explained, "It's why Grian has those four scars going across his left eye. Those were from me."

"Then who were the others from?"

"I don't know. For the most part I wasn't in the same habitat as him. I was gone day one."

"X, I'm so sorry."

"Why? This wasn't your fault."

"But I should have done a better job protecting you."

"Hey, mum. Whatever was put in us when we were five basically stayed in us and that's why we reacted to the poison and you didn't."

Grian made a noise and tried to sit up, he was faltered by how weak his arms were.

"Hey, Gri." Lyra said, walking over to his side, "You feeling better?"

"As better as better can be I suppose."

"Well that's good at least. Hey, honey-"

"He's dead, I know. I might not have completely registered what was happening after the entire incident, but I've come back to my senses now." Grian said, sitting up with help, "Ow.. Ow, ow, back."

"Yeah, honey, you don't have a left kidney. They took it out of you. And your doctors treated your other.. wounds. You'll be okay to leave for portal travel in two weeks."

Grian sighed and let his head fall limply against the pillow, "And Aurora?"

"Dead. You manipulating the bullets killed her."

"I... don't remember that."

"I wouldn't expect you too. You were so out of it, it scared me. The same with your brother, he was nonresponsive when we found him."

"Life of captivity." Grian mumbled, he brought his hand up to his scarred eye, "I didn't think this scar would show as much as it does."

"Grian, I am so sorry about that scar." Xisuma piped up, "I didn't kn-"

"Xisuma, shut up." Grian interrupted looking at him, "What happened to you, happened to me. You weren't in your own mind. When my entire world was black, I.. I attacked Ren."

Grian's voice went to a whisper, "I will never forget the look of terror on his face when my claws hit his skin."

"Grian, I have to ask..." Lyra said, interrupting their conversation, "Who gave you the scar on your left arm?"

Grian was taken aback from the question, "Xayther."

"You're kidding?"

"Let's just say, the only scar I have from Xisuma is the one on my eye."

"Xayther gave you the rest?"

"Pretty much."

Lyra was silent. When Grian pulled his hand to his neck, he gasped.

"It's gone..."

"No it's not, honey." Lyra assured taking a small box out of her pocket, "It's right here in this box. Your necklace is safe. They had to take it off to treat you."

Grian smiled as he awkwardly opened the box, the IV needle poking every other nerve in his hand.

_~Two Weeks Later~_

Grian was still a little weak walking, but he could stand on his own. When the family got back to their human home, Lyra spoke to the two boys;

"Go ahead and go to your rooms boys. I'm going to get started on making a meal, okay?"

"Sounds good ma." Xisuma and Grian said in unison, then they walked to their rooms.

"She's so worried." Xisuma whispered when they got to the top of the stairs.

"I mean, do you blame her?" Grian asked, "We were kidnapped in front of her, experimented on, _and_ I lost a kidney. I'm on constant watch now."

Grian opened the door to his room, Xisuma followed him in as he saw a box on his bed.

"Okay, what on Earth?" Grian mumbled, picking up the box, "A new phone plan?"

"Oh yeah... Cuz we lost our phones when we were taken." Xisuma chuckled, "Alright, go text your boyfriend, I'm sure he's worried."

"Ren isn't my boyfriend, X." Grian said rolling his eyes, "Phone isn't in here..."

He looked to the wall, "Oh, she plugged them in."

"Have fun, G." Xisuma chuckled, then left, leaving the door open.

Grian rolled his eyes one more time, leaned over to the small button on the wall and turned on the Christmas lights, then opened his phone.

"Oh, Renny boo." Grian teased to himself, "It's time to give you a heart attack."

_Imported all my contacts and everything..._

He clicked new message on the device, and started typing.

_**Sent 5:45PM** Grian: Hey you, I'm alive._

_**Sent 5:46PM** Ren: GRIAN! Are you back in the city? What's going on? Are you okay?_

_**Sent 5:46PM** Grian: REN CALM DOWN._

_**Sent 5:47PM** Grian: I'm okay. Missing a kidney, but I'm okay. Spent two weeks in the Watcher hospital... Three days of PT, but I'm fine._

_**Sent 5:48PM** Grian: And yes, we're back. Alive and healthy._

_**Sent 5:49PM** Ren: Yessssss, can I come over? I need to see you._

_**Sent 5:49PM** Grian: Yeah, sure. Mum's making food, so that's always fun. I'll see you in twenty._

Within that twenty minutes, Lyra walked into Grian's room with a bowl in her hands.

"You didn't need to come up and deliver it." Grian said sitting up, "It's not like I'm completely incapacitated."

"Grian, don't push your luck." Lyra chuckled handing him the bowl, "Just let me baby you for a couple days."

"As you wish, your highness."

"Goofball." Lyra chuckled rustling Grian's hair, "Eat your cheese. I'm gonna go give Xisuma his."

"Thanks for the mac and cheese ma. Great first meal back."

"Don't sass me you little shit."

Grian's jaw dropped, he's had no words for how surprised he was to hear that.

"Eat." Lyra said with a chuckle, "I'm gonna go give Xisuma his."

"Yes ma'am."

About five minutes later, Ren knocked on his door, quickly grabbing Grian's attention.

"Mm. Ren, hey." Grian said his mouth full, he swallowed and put the bowl on the bedside table, "Caught me in the middle of dinner."

"I see that." Ren chuckled sitting on the edge of the bed, "What's going on with you? Your eye looks worse than the last time I saw it."

"Oh, it healed over, I can see just fine, but my powers can only do so much as far as healing goes."

"So your mark..."

"Basically a sign of how strong my powers are." Grian said, "When it was pulsing, that's because it's fading and growing at the same time."

"You are so interesting."

"Yeah, I guess so. But Watchers are dangerous, some of us anyways."

"I can tell. And I can see why you've hidden this."

Grian was silent for a moment, "Hey, you wanna see something cool?"

"I already know you can shape shift."

"That's not what I'm getting at." Grian said quickly, "I have wings."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Let me show you something."

Grian got up and walked to the slightly lifted board in his room and took out a photo.

"Now, when I was young, my family used to keep our wings out all the time when Xisuma and I weren't messing around as lion cubs." He walked over, photo in hand and handed it to Ren, "I remember when X and I were young, we'd jump into our parent's bed and wake them up right before sunrise."

"That is actually hilarious." Ren chuckled, "You were so cute! Cuter than you are now."

"Hey!"

"How did your parents react with that little stunt?"

"First they'd say something along the lines of, 'Before sunrise they're your sons.'" Grian said mocking Orion's voice, "Then they'd throw pillows at us... Then tell us to go back to bed before they do something worse."

"Vicious much?"

"Kinda. But they had two _very_ energetic five year-olds."

"How long have you been with them?"

"Well, as long as I can remember really. I-I was left on their doorstep." Grian said with a chuckle, "My biological mother, Aurora, the person who was experimenting on me and X, she wanted nothing to do with me. So directly after my birth, she immediately gave me away."

"That's a story. What happened to Orion?"

"O-Orion is, um, dea-dead."

"Oh, Grian..."

"It-It all just happened so fast." Grian said almost choking on his words as his mind tried remembering what happened, "It hadn't clicked with me when it happened. But I remember having my head on his chest, just feeling him pass."

"Oh Grian... You poor thing."

"Yeah... Uh, I couldn't go to the funeral because I was stuck in the hospital so they streamed it for me. So that was... Something." Grian took a breath, "I lost my father, almost lost my mother... Xisuma almost died from blood loss. Then I would have been kept as an experiment toy thing."

"That's.."

"Traumatizing. And its not the first time that's happened. But that's enough about me. What's been going on with the Acapellists? And you?"

"The Acapellists are bored. We have a show in three weeks."

"I should be back Monday."

"Literally no one is active or happy, ever since you left."

"Oh."

"Yeah, it's been boring."

Grian thought for a moment, "I have an idea."


	18. When The Stars Alight

Grian was smart, anyone could tell you that. But nobody would tell you that he was Watcher smart.

Any device given to him, he could turn into something useful and nonlethal. He cared about human life, all life in general, really.

He was working on little devices that'd go around the wrist and read his brainwaves and powers.

Lyra walked into his room with a pack of Gatorade.

"Hey, what're you working on?"

"I'm mimicking the Watcher technology they used on Xisuma and I." Grian explained, "Only this time, it won't be commanding nerves."

"Grian, I don't know if I like you doing this..."

"Mum, it's fine. They're nonlethal." Grian assured popping a LED in place, "I can manipulate Watcher technology enough to where they can read my brainwaves by attaching to one nerve in the wrist."

"It scares me how smart you are."

"Heh." Grian shrugged, "It's not that bad mum."

"Gri, baby, you're manipulating Watcher technology."

"It's fine! Everything's fine."

"You're a mess."

"Learned from the best."

Throughout the day, Grian finished making the bracelets, he attached one to his own wrist and felt it prick into his skin, attaching to a nerve. When he saw the rest flash purple, once he knew he did something right.

"Yes." Grian said, exaggerating the s, "It works!"

"Grian!" Lyra shouted from the first floor, "Get some rest!"

"I'm not tired!" Grian shouted back, "I'm actually full of energy."

"Whatever, Grian."

By the next day, Grian went back to school, when he noticed the Acapellists weren't in the usual room they were in, he heard them right down the hall.

"Auditorium. A'ight." He chuckled then walked to the front doors to the room, and walked in without being noticed.

The mics were loud, _"This song isn't the same without Grian."_

_"Ren, we don't necessarily have a choice. We don't know if Grian is ever coming back."_

Grian crossed his arms and smirked, "Hey!" The room was silent, "I'm alive."

 _"GRIAN!"_ The mics boomed, then the mic's cut off and Ren jumped off the stage and gave Grian a hug, "Dude, I can't believe you're actually here!"

"Yeah, yeah. Ren, let me go." Grian chuckled, "Any way we can fit me in here? I've got ideas, 'cuz you guys looked hella bored."

"Scar, get Grian hooked up with a mic." Capella said, "I look forward to seeing what you have in mind magic man."

Grian chuckled and went backstage with Scar, got set up with a mic and walked back out with a box in his hands.

"What're those devices?" Capella asked, "Oh dear, Grian."

"They're completely safe." Grian assured, "These are rather harmless."

He started handing them out, "Just put them on your wrist, it'll do the rest of the job."

As the bracelets attached to nerves, Grian smiled, "These won't do anything bad to you guys. What they're doing is connecting to my brainwaves and it's going to react to your bodies. It's easier to show than explain."

Then he thought, "Let's take it from _Somebody To Love._ From the top, places people! We're revamping this piece."

The lights dim down, only to shine on Grian at first.

_Can **anybody find me somebody to love?**_

Grian slid to the right, Ren sliding to the left.

_Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little  
_ **Can barely stand on my feet**  
(Take a look at yourself) _**Take a look in the mirror and cry**_ (and cry)  
 **Lord, what you're doing to me** (yeah yeah)

Through the verse, Grian and Ren both moved around each other, then they both slid in opposite directions until they were near the pedestals where they then climbed to the tallest platform.

_**I have spent all my years in believing you  
** But I just can't get no relief, Lord!  
_ **Somebody** ( _somebody_ ) _**ooh somebody**_ ( _somebody_ )  
 _ **Can anybody find me somebody to love?**_

Grian and Ren both pulled their hands to their hearts, Grian's voice immediately going higher.

As the 'instrumental' was happening, Grian's eyes shined purple and he and Ren both walked off the platforms, purple plates under their feet disappearing as they walked towards each other.

Ren looked unsteady, but Grian only nodded at him then continued to the next part.

**I work hard** _(he works hard)_ **every day of my life**  
 ** _I work 'til I ache in my bones  
_** **At the end** _(at the end of the day)_  
 ** _I take home my hard earned pay all on my own  
_** _ **I get down**_ (down) _**on my knees**_ (knees)

Grian went to a knee, held out his hand and Ren pulled him back up and began to spin him.

_**And I start to pray  
** 'Til the tears run down from my eyes  
_ **Lord, somebody** ( _somebody_ ), **ooh somebody**  
(Please) _**can anybody find me somebody to love?**_

Grian did a flip then a side flip, spinning in the air as he let Ren have the spotlight. 

_~!!!~_

As they were singing, people and classes were walking out to see who was singing that high.

"Is that Grian?"

"Can't be. Grian can't get that high."

Soon the auditorium was being filled slowly without the performers knowing.

_~!!!~_

**_Everyday_** (everyday) **_I try and I try and I try_**  
 **But everybody wants to put me down  
They say I'm going crazy  
** **They say I got a lot of water in my brain  
Ah, got no common sense  
I got nobody left to believe in**

He got up and walked back to him, the purple plates allowing him to be slightly higher than Ren.

**_ Yeah yeah yeah yeah _ **

That last line, Grian, Ren, and the rest of the crew were moving left and right from each other.

**_Oh, Lord  
_ Ooh somebody**, _ooh somebody_  
 ** _Can anybody find me somebody to love?  
_** (Can anybody find me someone to love)

Grian's voice went way higher than his normal register that he was used to, so it was a bit of a strain.

They both began sliding down nonexistent slopes, Grian doing another flip and landing slightly above the stage, pulling Ren with him.

_**Got no feel, I got no rhythm  
**_ **I just keep losing my beat** (you just keep losing and losing)  
 ** _I'm OK, I'm alrigh_** t (he's alright, he's alright)  
 ** _I ain't gonna face no defeat_** (yeah yeah)  
 _I just gotta get out of this prison cell  
_ ** _One day_** (someday) **_I'm gonna be free, Lord!_**

The lights dim once more, Grian and Ren landing in front of the three lines for the chorus.

The bass line rose,

Find me somebody to love  


Next the tenors and altos.

Find me somebody to love  


Sopranos were last, Grian and Ren being flung into the air higher than the rest of the group.

_** Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love  
Find me somebody to love ** _

With every repeated line, Grian and Ren's voices went up just a little bit until Grian couldn't get any higher in range.

Find me somebody to love love love   
Find me somebody to love   
Find me somebody to love   
_Somebody_ somebody _somebody_ somebody   
Somebody find me

_ **Somebody find me somebody to love  
** _

Ren was on the base of the stage, Grian slightly spinning in the air, and falling directly into Ren's arms.

The group went to a softer dynamic as they started to finish the song.

_**Can anybody find me somebody to love?  
** _

Ren tossed Grian out of his arms only to pull him back with a spin.

_(Find me somebody to love)  
_ **Ooh**  
 _(Find me somebody to love)  
_ ** _Find me somebody, somebody_** _(find me somebody to love)_ _**somebody, somebody to love  
Find me, find me, find me, find me, find me  
Ooh, somebody to love (Find me somebody to love)  
Ooh (find me somebody to love)  
Find me, find me, find me somebody to love (find me somebody to love)  
Anybody, anywhere, anybody find me somebody to love love love!  
Somebody find me, find me love**_

With ending the piece with Ren and Grian face to face, hands held, only an inch away from each other, people in the audience started clapping and cheering, scaring the entire group.

"How did we not see them come in here?" Grian asked, then saw the big screens on, "How did we not see _that_ being lowered?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine buddy."

_"GRIAN'S BACK!"_

"Well then.." Grian chuckled, "I guess I was missed."

"You and Xisuma both." Scar said walking up to him, "You two are the most popular kids in the departments you're involved in!"

"Oh no..." Grian chuckled, "The robotics kids are gonna start teasing me for being the music geek."

"Eh, it's fine."

Then the principle walked up to the group.

"Grian," He stated, "How were you guys floating in midair?"

"Huh? OH!" Grian exclaimed, he showed him the bracelet on his wrist, "I have some pretty advanced engineering skills, so I was able to manipulate some Watcher technology and basically defy the laws of gravity."

"You're smarter than I thought you were."

"Heh.. Thanks?" Grian chuckled, "I.. Uh, what do we do now?"

"Well Grian," Capella said walking up to them, "We can either give them a show, since we still have twenty minutes, or we can cut rehearsal short for the day and let you rest."

Grian was about to open his mouth when Ren piped in,

"He'll take the day."

"I- Ren!" Grian laughed, "Brat."

"Yup, I'm looking out for you."

"I can make my own decisions."

"Yeah, but, you're Grian."

"I'm Grian?! That's your best excuse? You're the worst." Grian chuckled rolling his eyes.

Ren grabbed him, "Yeah, but you love it."

_~The Next Day~_

Grian was walking through the hall for lunch hour, putting his books away in his locker. When he shut it, he leaned against it and sighed.

_"Hey Grian."_ A female voice called out to him.

He opened his eyes, "Hey, Veronica. What do you need?"

"Well, I was thinking, with me being the most popular girl in the school, and you being the most popular boy in the school... We'd make the perfect couple."

"Sorry, I'm taken, and gay." Grian said, then went to walk away but Veronica slammed her hand beside him.

"You don't tell me no." Veronica growled.

"Look, I can, and I will. I'm gay and taken and I'm fine with that." Grian said teleporting to the other side of her arm, "I'm not interested in your offer."

"Grian, you're a smart guy.. Bu-"

"I know what this is now." Grian interrupted, "You're wanting me to do your homework for you because you're too lazy to do it yourself. Fat chance sweetheart. Get a tutor."

Her jaw dropped as he walked away from her, "You'll regret that, Grian."

"No I won't!" He shouted, then went to meet Ren at the bottom of the stairs.


	19. This Night Is Supposed To Be Peaceful

**_I wanted to put this here now. There is mentions of Anti-Gay slurs, threatening notes, bullying. Please respect everyone's sexuality preference and everyone in general._ **

**_~*~_ **

"Ugh, Ren, the popular girls keep hitting on me." Grian groaned as he was turning on the bracelet for Acapella, "I'm actually getting quite annoyed. It's getting ridiculous."

"Just tell them to go away."

"I have, multiple times." Grian started getting his mic set, "The blonde basically wants me to do her homework for her. She basically wants to use me. She doesn't take no for an answer."

"Honestly..." Ren started, "Veronica is a bitch."

Grian sputtered, "REN! You can't say that... Actually, you can. It's accurate."

"See? Even you know it."

"Hey, they just won't go away."

"They?"

"Veronica and her possy. Brittany, Jessica, and Mercedes."

"Geez, the entire team is gonna be on you."

"Something tells me that they won't be leaving me alone. Let's do this."

As they were in the middle of a song, Capella stopped them after a small chat with the principal.

"Grian, Ren." She said and motioned them down, as they jumped down, she began speaking, "Grian, Ren, Principal Gaston wants to speak with you."

When Ren and Grian exchanged a look the principal spoke, "You boys aren't in trouble. Turn off your mics and devices and come with me."

"Uh, yes sir." Grian said, making sure everyone was on the ground before activating the kill switch and taking off his mic, Ren doing the same then the two jumped off the stage and followed the principal out.  
  
  


"Grian, I wanted to talk to you about your locker."

"What about it?" Grian asked, "I didn't do any..."

He saw his locker.

"... Thing."

His locker was covered in anti-gay slurs and a note with his name.

"Grian, I told you I wouldn't take no for an answer." He read the note out loud, "Bitch..." He mumbled.

"Profanity, Grian." Gaston said, "Do you think you know who did this to your locker?"

"Veronica and her stupid mean girl possy." Grian snarked, then opened the locker, "You are kidding me. They picked the lock and did..."

He saw a picture that he didn't want to see.

He took it out, "Ren... What the hell is this?"

"Grian, there's an explanation for that picture." Ren said immediately.

"I'm reasonable." Grian replied, the principal was letting them talk, "Why are you kissing Mercedes in this picture?"

"Basically what happened was that they were talking to me about how you refused to take their offer..." He started then sighed, "I told them to leave you alone, and then _that_ happened."

"They're trying to drive a wedge between us." Grian said quietly, then looked slightly down and to the right of the hall.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked when he saw Grian's eyes lighting purple fire.

Grian took a breath, closing his eyes as he did. Once he opened them again, they were back to their normal blue, "I'll be fine." He shut the locker, walked to the principal and handed him the picture, "Let me know if things get out of hand."

"Grian?"

"I'll take care of this later, Ren. But for now we have a show to prepare for."  
  
  


They finished the day out and Grian was finishing taking down all the anti-gay slurs and insults.

"I can't believe they stooped this low. It's ridiculous." He mumbled.

When his phone suddenly rang he immediately answered it.

"Yeah, mum?"

_"Are you okay? Why haven't you come home yet?"_

"The mean girls basically vandalized my locker. I'm currently still taking down their insult notes."

_"Are you serious?"_

"Yeah. Ugh, this one literally just says "gay disaster". Good lord."

_"Grian, honey, come home."_

"I need to take care of this. I'll be home in probably half an hour?"

_"Grian, I'll just pick you up after I pick up dinner. Okay?"_

"Sure, ma... What the hell?"

_"Gri, language."_

"No... Hang on.. There's a note in here that's in an envelope..."

As he was opening the envelope and reading the note something hit him.

"I've had enough of this."

_"Grian?"_

"Mum, we need to talk. You, myself, Xisuma, and Ren."

He slammed the locker shut, "Come pick me up."

As he ended the call, he immediately went to call Ren.

_"Grian! What do I owe the pleasure?"_

"Ren. You, me, my family, dinner now."

_"Grian, what is going on? You sound angry."_

"Mixed emotions. We need to talk."

The evening went until the four were together.

"Grian, what's going on, you sounded extremely and distressed on the phone." Lyra said concerned.

Grian sighed before speaking, "As we all know, my locker was vandalized in anti-gay slurs. Which none of us appreciate... And I got a very concerning note."

"Which says?"

"It said, 'Your sexuality is an insult to the groups you're in. You should just kill yourself now and save your family and friend's the burden of your existence.' This is an actual threat. The annoying mean girls who vandalized my locker, only did it out of spite. I don't know who sent me this threat, but the moment I find out, is the moment I report it."

"Grian, report it now." Ren said, "That is extremely uncalled for and it's basically threatening your life."

"I plan too, but right now... I'm not letting it go under my skin. It's just some stupid bully scheme."

"Grian, this isn't stupid. This is serious!" Xisuma nearly shouted, "You can't be in the school with people telling you to kill yourself."

"Xisuma, we don't use our powers for evil, but we've been through worse than this." Grian said, looking at him with a stare that could kill, " _This_ is nothing compared to the scientists and experiments. And you know that."  
  
  


By the next day, Grian and Ren spent lunch together. 

People started looking at them both with concern.

"I don't know what's with all the looks of concern, but it's confusing." Grian mumbled, "It makes no sense."

"Things get around quickly, G." Ren said, "It's easy to start a rumour, but to confirm it is another."

Grian hummed and continued with lunch, until someone walked up to their table.

"Hey, Gay." He taunted as he hit Grian's drink out of his hand.

"Back off, Chad." Grian warned, "Leave me alone."

"Oh, what're you going to do about it? Hit me?"

"No, because I'm not stooping to that level. Leave us be."

Grian just allowed him to tease him until his patience ran out and he walked away with Ren.

**_~*~_ **

As they were in Acapella, they were finishing a song when suddenly an entire bucket of water poured on top of Grian.

As the group gasped, Grian stood still.

"THAT'S IT." He shouted and jumped off the stage, taking off his mic and device he turned to Capella, "I'll be right back. This isn't even bullying anymore. This is flat out harassment."

"Grian, what is going on?" Capella said stopping him, "This isn't normal."

"Basically, people are mad because I won't do what they want and they're stooping to this and it's getting unbearable."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Literally only a couple days."

"Go ahead."

"There's only a week until the performance and I don't need bad vibes. I'll be back."  
  
  


As he was walking through the hall, he heard people laughing.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. It's only water." Grian said, then took out his phone and texted Lyra.

_Grian: I need you to come pick me up._

_Grian: Someone pulled an obnoxious prank on me by pouring an entire bucket of water on my head._

_Grian: No I am not joking._

_Lyra: Grian, love, I'm sorry._

_Grian: Nothing to be sorry about. I'm taking care of it._

"Grian, what can I-Whoa... What happened to you?" Gaston asked.

"Someone poured an entire bucket of cold water on top of my head during Acapella rehearsal. There's a week until the concert and I'm tired of being targeted like this."

"We'll take care of it. You have my word. You're one of our most trusted students."  
  
  


_~Night of the Concert~_

The Acapellists were finishing the last song. When Ren and Grian were near each other, suddenly glue was on top of Grian and he froze and screamed when suddenly glitter was on him too. He was unable to catch his breath as he looked at his arms.

Glue, glitter, humiliation. All in one prank. His eyes were wide as realization hit him. He ran past Ren and went back stage, taking off the microphone and device and putting them on a nearby table. 

_"Grian!"_ He heard Ren call as he ran backstage, "Grian are you okay?"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M OKAY!?" He shouted, "I'm covered in glue and glitter! I've just been embarrassed in front of a thousand people. No, I am not okay!"

His voice started breaking as he spoke.

"This was the last concert of the season. I don't know how to respond to this!"

He went to leave.

Ren grabbed his wrist, "Where are you going?"

"Home." He said, "I can't perform like this. Have fun with the after party."

He left walking through the hall to the nearest exit and walked outside.

He sat on the curb and waited for Lyra, Xisuma and whoever else may come out to him.

"Grian?" The voice was sweet, kind, concerned, "Are you okay?"

"No..." Grian mumbled, "No, I'm not."

"Honey.."

"Take me home." He got up and wrapped his arms around himself as he walked to their car.

The ride was completely silent on the way home.

When they did get back, Grian didn't speak at all, he only went up and took a long shower, being sure to have gotten all the flue and glitter out of his hair.

He went straight to bed afterwards. He tried to sleep, but nothing could stop him from thinking about that incident.  
  
  


The next day at school wasn't any better. He kept to himself primarily. As he was putting away his backpack, he sighed when he heard someone walking up to him chuckling.

"Hey, glitter boy." They said, "Still think you're fabulous?"

Grian shut his locker and walked away. Or at least he would have if he wasn't slammed against the them.

"What do you want?" Grian asked not making eye contact.

"How does it feel to be publicly shamed at the final concert of your season?"

Grian didn't answer and he continued talking.

"Covered in glitter, an emotional _mess._ "

"Dude, just leave me alone! Just leave me alone." He ducked under the arm and walked down the hall to the lunch room.

When he walked in, people were staring at him. He tried to not pay attention to it and went to sit next to Ren.

"I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life." Grian said burying his face in his hands, "I want to go home."

"Grian, it's not terrible..." Ren said pulling an arm around him, "It'll be okay."

"Ren, I was literally humiliated in front of everyone."

_"Did you guys see that video about the Acapella group's lead singer? It was awesome."_

_"What the hell is your problem Jason? You shouldn't have done that. That wasn't awesome, that was evil and mean. It was so uncalled for!"_

_"Lighten up Janet. It was just a prank!"_

_"A prank!? You embarrassed him in front of almost a thousand people who were watching! It was completely uncalled for!"_

_"I might have done that, but what's the worst thing a gay kid could do?"_

_"You know something? You're an idiot. I'm reporting you to the principal for that stupid stunt. I hope you get expelled."_

"Grian, hey."

He looked up at the girl speaking to him.

"Hey, Janet." Grian said glumly, "Here to make fun of me too?"

"What? No. No, I'm not." She said, "I wanted to know if you're okay."

"No, not really." He responded, "But it's whatever."

"Look, Grian-"

"Janet, I just... I need to be alone. Okay?" He got up and left the room.

"Grian isn't okay." Xisuma said, "I'm gonna go check on him."

"X, dude, he needs time to himself."

"Ren, I know more about him than you do." He said interrupting the thought, "And that kinda scares me."

He never found Grian. And that only worried him farther.

When he ran into Grian's advisor, he immediately stopped him.

"Hey, have you seen Grian? I can't find him anywhere."

"I'm afraid I haven't..." He responded, "What's happened?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Xisuma asked, Grian's advisor only shook his head, "Wow you live under a rock."

He immediately took out his phone and showed him the video.

"He was completely embarrassed and now people won't leave him alone about it. I need to find him."

"Check at the top of the stairwell."

"Thank you."

"Let me know when you find him, Xisuma."

He immediately ran off to the stairwell.

_~!!!~_

Grian was watching the video of the disaster concert. It had been uploaded to YouTube, he was scrolling through the comments. It had been labeled, _"Fabulous? I think not."_

_Anonymous112: Poor kid._

_StarNest125: I hope they find the people who did that to him. That's ridiculous._

_Eagles468: Ha, deserved._

_PrizeStar1: That's a good look for him honestly. Quite the improvement from those shitty costumes._

_Satan666: His partner had dodged a bullet. He must have been amused._

_Rendog: Grian didn't deserve that. This has been going on long enough._

_Thanks for trying, Ren.._ Grian thought, _But nothing is going to go back to normal._

He sat there and watched the video play over and over and over again, reliving ever embarrassing second.

When he heard frantic footsteps, he ignored them and just continued watching. His heart hurting more and more with every replay.

_"Grian! There you are. Why did you run?"_

He ignored the person talking to him.

Until the person grew tired of him not listening and snatched the phone away, taking his attention immediately.

"Grian, what is going on inside your head? And stop watching this stupid video!"

"It's not as simple as just stopping watching the video." Grian said curling in on himself, "It's got 50,000,000 views in less than twenty hours, X. Every hour I get another text with that same stupid link."

"You don't have to open the messages or links, Grian. You can ignore them all."

"It's whatever, X."

"It is not whatever, Grian!"

"Easy for you to say." Grian mumbled, "You aren't getting threatening messages."

"Grian, report them."

"I have. It doesn't stop them."

"Then-"

"Then, what, X? Do you have a solution? What will your life changing idea be since you know how to solve all my problems?"

"Grian, that's not what I'm intending to do and you know that."

"Are you sure? Because lately you've been sure that you can solve all my problems."

Xisuma slightly flinched backwards just a tad. 

"Sorry, Xisuma..." Grian quickly apologized, "You didn't need that. But my problems aren't your responsibility. I can handle them myself."

"Grian, you're my little brother. I'm supposed to help you."

"Yeah, but sometimes you can't fix everything. And I don't want you too."

"Grian-"

"No. I can handle this myself."

As he said that, in his mind, he knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it on his own. Throughout the day, any person who was affiliated with Veronica, or the people who embarrassed him, just pushed him around all day.

By the end of the day, he was once again shoved in his locker.

_**HermitGang** _

_Grian: Can someone come get me out of my locker?_

_Xisuma: You can unlock it. One of your powers is literally manipulating objects._

_Grian: I'm just... I'm not in the mood to used them._

_Iskall: This is getting out of hand._

_Xisuma: I'm coming._

_Impulse: I'm in the hall, G. I'm coming._

When Impulse finally came, Grian gave him his combo, and he pulled him out.

"Are you okay?"

"Peachy. Bye, Impulse."

**_~*~_ **

When he walked into math the next morning, at 8:10, he heard people laughing.

"Wh-what's going on?" He asked as he walked in.

"Well, it's the acapella boy himself!"

Grian cocked an eyebrow when students started walking towards him. Two people grabbed his arms, and three others started throwing glitter bombs on him.

"Guys, cut it out!" Grian shouted, "This isn't funny anymore. It wasn't funny to begin with."

They all started calling him names, pushing him around. He just stood there and took it.

It only stopped when the teacher walked in and stopped it.

"Grian, go to the principals office and talk to him about this. The rest of you are getting detention."

He left without another word. He was lucky no one was in the halls as he walked through. 

When he walked into the office the receptionist winced at how Grian looked as he dusted off the glitter.

With a sigh, he ruffled his hair to get out the majority of the glitter.

"Are you okay, Grian?" She asked, "You're an absolute mess."

"Ever since the Acapella concert, it's just been... This, every single day." Grian responded softly, "I'm tired of it. It's starting to get to be harassment."

"More like it _is_ harassment." She said walking up to him, "Here.."

As she was helping him get the glitter off the back of his neck.

"He's free now if you wish to go in."

"Yeah..."

After the talk, he was sent home. He decided to walk home and called Lyra as he did.

"Hey..."

_"You sound glum, what's going on, Glum?"_

"I'm being sent home."

_"What? Why?"_

"Students glittered me. And I don't feel mentally there to focus enough on work."

_"Would you like me to pick you up?"_

"N-nah... I'm walking home. I need time to clear my head."

_"Would you like me to pick you something up then? I'm not taking no for an answer on this, you know that. What do you want me to pick you up?"_

"Uh..."

_"I'll pick you up your favourite ice cream and a pizza."_

"Mum, it's 8:30..."

_"So?"_

Grian chuckled, "Okay, ma. Okay."

_"I'll see you at home honey."_

"Yeah..."

_"I love you."_

"I love you too, mum. I'll see you in a bit."

When he was home, he was watching TV when his messages popped up.

_Lyra: Hey, on my way back now._

_Lyra: I got you something special._

_Lyra: You'll love it._

_Grian: That's suspicious mum._

_Lyra: Good._

_Grian: Oh no..._

_Lyra: It's fine honey._

_Grian: Okay, okay. Whatever you say._

Then another text.

_Ren: Hey, where are you?_

_Grian: Home._

_Ren: Why?_

_Grian: I'll explain tomorrow._

_Ren: More glitter bullies?_

_Grian: Yeah... So the principal also sent me home to take a mental health day. I'm excused for the day._

_Grian: My mum is being very suspicious though._

_Ren: Lol! How?_

_Grian: *Sent a photo*_

_Ren: Oh._

_Ren: I'd watch out. That's dangerous._

"OW!" Grian shouted when something hit him in the head, "What the-"

"Hey honeysuckle."

Grian stuttered out a laugh, "Hi mum, why'd you throw a bag of Ruffles at my head?"

"To get your attention." Lyra chuckled walking in, hiding something behind her back, "You have mint ice cream in the freezer, I have a pizza preordered for eleven, I-"

"What's behind your back? What're you hiding?"

"I went to the ice cream shop."

"What did you do?"

"I got you a banana split." She chuckled handing him the container, "All your three favourites from the shop, favourite toppings, and favourite mum."

Grian chuckled as he opened the container, "You seriously didn't have to go all out, mum. It's just some stupid bullies."

"Grian, you know me by now." She chuckled, "I'm over the top. Who do you think you get your fabulousness from?"

"My goodness mum."

"You let me know if you need anything." She said pointing a finger at him, "Got it?"

"Yes, mother."

As she left Grian smiled, knowing he was in a loving home despite his scars and problems.

That night, it stormed. Pouring rain, thunder, lightning. But it wasn't strong enough to be destructive. So he walked outside and sat in the rain, feeling it hit against his face.

He took a deep breath and let his wings stretch from his body.

With his wings came the story of his life.

He never believed that he'd had been here if what happened never happened.

He was happy in the player worlds. It was calm and peaceful.

The night was peaceful.

In the rain, his mind was at peace.

His worries were gone.

Pure tranquility.

Silence.

Happy memories.

That night of the performance slowly making its way out of his head.


	20. You Can't Have Peace Without Hurt

When the next week came, Grian sat in the principal's office with Lyra discussing the incident from earlier. But Grian didn't want to talk about it, at all.

_"I didn't want for it to come to this meeting, Mrs. Void. But I'm starting to think Grian's safety is at risk."_

_"Honestly, I'm starting to think that too. But I don't want to take him out of the school."_

_"We've been trying our best... find...."_

Their words quickly became mumbled mess as he went deeper in his thoughts, drowning out every word that was said. 

When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he knew immediately that it would be Ren or Xisuma.

He didn't expect it to be both.

**_Xisuma created the group_ **

_Xisuma: Gri, you okay?_

_Ren: What have they said?_

_Grian: I've not been listening._

_Grian: Don't want too._

_Ren: But Grian, you need to get past this one way or another. We don't want to see you having to go home early again._

_Grian: I'm not going home early. They can't catch Veronica and what's-their-faces for vandalizing my locker or whatever, but I intend to make sure that they do._

_Xisuma: How?_

_Grian: I'm gonna set up an eye._

_Xisuma: Don't you know that's dangerous?_

_Grian: Relax, it's only a Watcher eye. Harmless...._

_Ren: I don't like that ...._

_Grian: Unless they attack it. But who would punch a magical being in the eye?_

_Xisuma: Grian, don't set up an eye._

_Grian: Fine._

_~Thirty Minutes Later~_

_Grian: I set up an eye._

_Xisuma: GRIAN!_

_Grian: IT'S HIDDEN._

_Xisuma: I don't care! Summon it away!_

_Grian: No._

_Xisuma: Grian._

_Grian: Xisuma._

_Ren: Ren!_

_Grian: Shut up, Ren._

_Xisuma:_ _Shut up, Ren._

_Ren: :(_

_Ren: Let me break up your puppy fight._

_Grian: You are the puppy._

_Ren: You're the bird._

_Grian: And Xisuma's the void. What do you want me to do about it?_

_Xisuma: Well excuse me._

_Xisuma: SUMMON THE EYE AWAY._

_Grian: No._

_Xisuma: Mum's going to tell you the same thing._

_Grian: I'm gonna tell her the same thing I'm telling you now._

_Grian: NO._

_**Grian left the group.** _

_Xisuma: Grian!_

_**Xisuma added Grian to the Group.** _

_Xisuma: Don't you leave this chat._

_Xisuma: Summon the eye away._

_Grian: Not gonna happen bud._

_Ren: You Watchers are weird._

_Grian: Shush._

_Grian: It's fine._

_Ren: Okay, Grain._

_Ren: Grian*_

_Grian: GRAIN!?_

_Grian: YOU THINK I'M BREAD!?_

_Ren: Why are we together again?_

_Grian: Because you love me._

_**Xisuma changed the name for Grian to Grain.** _

_Grian: X, I swear._

_~At Home~_

"Hey boys, how'd school go?" Lyra asked when they walked in.

"Good." Xisuma answered.

"I set up an eye to spy on who's vandalizing my locker and sending me those homophobic notes." Grian replied immediately.

"Oh, oka-Wait." Lyra said, "Grian, get back here."

"It's fine, mum." Grian said, "It's hidden inside and I've gotten nothing so far."

"Grian, Watcher eyes are-"

"Dangerous and shouldn't be something that you play around with. I'm aware." Grian interrupted, "But, they don't attack unless they're provoked. So everyone will be fine."

The next morning, it was cold, but Grian was walking to school regardless then felt his powers activate.

"Good eye..." Grian chuckled, "That's a very good eye."

When he walked into the school, he walked up to his locker and opened it. As he held out his hand, the small eye moved itself to his hand.

"Great work, little guy. Now come with me."

When he walked into the principal's office with the eye in the palm of his hand.

"You're here early. Why are you here so early, Grian?"

"Well, I know who's been vandalizing my locker."

He made the eye show what happened.

It showed Veronica, Brittany, Jessica, Mercedes, and three boys putting in the notes.

"There's your answer, now suspend them." Grian said, "No more harassment to me or Ren."

"How'd you know about Ren?"

"I have eye's everywhere. Also I'm not an idiot."

"You have these magic eyes everywhere?"

"What? No, this was the only one. I meant that people are looking out for all of us."

When the day started, the group was brought in for a talk.

"You see kids, you were all caught breaking in and vandalizing Grian's locker. I am very disappointed in you all."

"He's a gay."

"But I'm still human." Grian said dismissing the eye, "And I should be treated like one instead of a disgrace. Now leave me, Ren, and anyone affiliated with us _alone_."

"Grian, you guys won't have to worry about them, because they're expelled. We don't tolerate any form of harassment in this school." Gaston said, "We'll be calling your parents immediately, Grian, go ahead and head up to class."

Grian nodded and left without another word, but a smile as he walked to class.

_A win for Grian._

The day continued as normal until Acapella.

"Guys, shut up a moment!" Capella shouted over the talkative group, "We have some exciting news."

"I love how she just says what's on her mind." Grian chuckled, "What's this big news?"

"For Spring Semester, we have not one, not two, but FOUR competitions, an-" She was interrupted by the group shouting in pure happiness, "Guys! Guys, I'm not done yet."

When the talking died out, she spoke once more, "We're also getting new costume designs thanks to our lead, Grian. And, we're going on tour."

"NO WAY." Grian almost shouted, sitting up completely from Ren, "You're kidding!"

"Not at all, Grian. Let's get to work guys."


	21. Beggin' On Your Knees

"Okay people, I need ideas." Grian said while the Acapellists were in a sectional, "Vests or polos?"

"Depends on the colour, G." Ren said relaxing against the wall, "You know that, Mr. Fasionista."

"I know more about fashion than you."

"Exactly."

Grian rolled his eyes, "Anyways, let's put it to a vote. Vests?"

3/4th's of the group said yes.

"Polos?"

1/4th.

"Vests it is then. Last semester we had blue sequined vests. Tell me guys, colours. Our theme this semester is Shadows of Light."

"How can a shadow be of light? It's weird."

"Uh huh, yeah. But still, maybe... Yellow? Purple? Black?"

"I got an idea." One of the girls chimed in, "Since one of our songs is going to be Nerves by Icon For Hire, maybe we put a mix of black and purple."

"Brilliant, Avery!" Grian said, almost shouting, "That is a wonderful idea. Let's do it. Who are our leads for that song anyways?"

"You and Sam."

"That's annoying."

"Grian, you can't say that." Ren chuckled, "You may hate him, but he's your partner for that song regardless."

"He puts no effort into the pieces we have. Haven't you noticed that HE ISN'T HERE."

Then the bell rang for first block.

"Ah, boo!" Grian groaned, "Alright, everyone head down to first block, we'll meet back up here when it's time for acapella."

The day moved on as normal, during passing for fourth block, Sam walked up to Grian's locker, and slammed it shut on him.

"Ugh, really?" He groaned, turning around and looking at the taller male, "Dude, I don't have time for this. I have to get to robotics, we're working on something important."

"Yeah? Well, I'm gonna make you late."

"That's your big plan? Make me late to a class?" Grian scoffed, "Just get out of my way dude."

"Oh, Grian. You don't know the half of it."

With Sam's voice being slightly deep and threatening, it started to slowly frighten Grian. Sam was about a foot or so taller than Grian, so he already looked threatening enough.

"What are you getting at, Sam?" Grian asked, "Beat it."

"I'll beat you if you don't cooperate."

"Dude! Just leave me alone!"

"Not gonna happen, cutie."

"I'm not your boyfriend and I'm not your friend. So don't call me that."

Sam got close to Grian's face, "I can call you whatever I want."

Grian groaned once more and tried walking away, but Sam slammed his fist to the side of Grian's head, "DUDE. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!? I have to get to a class."

"Yeah? Well, I have different plans for you."

Grian almost whimpered but quickly snapped himself out of it and teleported away then quickly walked down to his class.

_He's so creepy. Gives me a bad feeling._

While working on the bot in robotics he got a text and quickly checked it.

_Capella: Grian, I wanted to tell you that we have a scheduled performance in the yard on Thursday at 8PM._

_Grian: Seriously?_

_Capella: Yeah, so during rehearsal today, you'll be leading the song._

_Grian: Okay, what's the song?_

_Capella: My Way_

_Grian: Ah, okay. Simple enough._

_Grian: I can handle that._

_Capella: Good._

_"Grian, dude, snap out of it."_

"Huh? Oh, sorry guys." Grian apologized quickly, "What're we getting at now?"

"Well, before you went to answer your texts..." Impulse started, "We were talking about how we're going to fix this grapple thing."

"Oh, right. Okay, let's get back to work."

The class went on like normal, at the end, he met up with Ren at the bottom of the stairs and went to walk up to the next floor to Grian's locker.

"Hold on, one second Ren." Grian said, summoning an eye to look down the hall, "Sam's been crowding around my locker all day."

"Is he there?"

"Yup... He just won't leave."

When Grian summoned the eye back, he groaned, "I wish he would just leave me alone. He doesn't know the definition of 'no' and it's really starting to bother me."

"Try spying on him."

"Ren, that's illegal."

"Grian, you've literally put an eye thing in your locker."

"Yeah, but that was to get people off my ass. C'mon, he can't possibly bother both of us at once."

"You'd be surprised."

As they walked down to the hall, Grian could see a faint smirk on Sam's face.

"I don't like that smile."

"That's the smile of someone who has something planned."

"Ren, I don't want to think about what that would mean."

Grian stepped passed Sam and opened the locker, subconsciously using his powers to hear into Sam's thoughts.

When all he heard were screams, he knew that he was going to be a problem, more so that usual.

Grian shut the locker, turned to Ren and Grian could feel Sam's stare going straight through his skull.

_Something about his stare doesn't feel right..._

"Ren, c'mon. We don't want to... Overstay our welcome."

Grian was overly suspicious of Sams' actions and looks, and it was quite distracting.

Especially when they were in Acapella.

Grian was in the middle of a verse when he was trying to move around the group but the entire group ended up falling on top of each other instead.

"Ugh, guys, cut. Cut, cut, cut!" Capella shouted, "Grian, Ren, what is going on with you guys today? You're both usually able to do that move without toppling everything over."

Grian rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I'm just a little distracted, nothing of Ren's fault."

"Well get your head out of the clouds, Grian. I don't know what's going on with you, but snap out of it. There's a performance in two days."

"Right, yeah.. Sorry." Grian apologized quickly, "Is everyone okay though?"

The group confirmed their safety.

"Then take it from the top guys, and this time Grian... Don't fall under the group."

"Right."

The next couple of days went normal. As normal as it could have gone anyway.

The day of the concert evening, he walked into the lunchroom and saw Sam kissing Ren, then immediately saw Ren punch Sam off of him.

Ren looked _furious._ And it scared Grian. He has never seen Ren so upset before, he looked like he was about to kill someone.

Grian pulled out his phone and texted him.

_Grian: DUDE._

_Ren: You saw that._

_Grian: Yeah, but I saw your reaction. You looked like you wanted to kill him._

_Ren: You would have too._

_Grian: I have an idea._

_Ren: What's your plan?_

_Grian: I'm creating a new Acapella chat. Without Sam. You'll see there._

_**Grian created the group** _

_Serine: Grian, what's all this?_

_James: Dude?_

_Grian: You guys know how Sam has been messing with everyone?_

_Serine: Yeah._

_Grian: We're changing the song for tomorrow night._

_Capella: Grian, I didn't authorize this._

_Grian: Just trust me._

_Grian: We'll have a rehearsal tonight and run through it._

_~Tomorrow~_

_"Gooooood evening ladies and gentlemen!"_ Grian said through the mic, _"Welcome to the first pep rally of the spring semester!"_

"Grian, I don't think my mic is working."

_"Oh relax, Sam. Just sit back and relax. I'm sure you'll hate it."_

The curtains opened and some dropped, and the group started the main beat, then Grian glared at Sam as he sang.

_"You had it all  
The day you told me  
Told me you want me  
I had it all  
But let you fool me  
Fool me completely"_

He jumped up away from Sam, and he watched in utter confusion as Grian sung.

_Yeah I was so stupid  
To give you all my attention  
'Cause the way you played me  
Exposed your true intention_

Grian jumped back down and basically started taunting Sam.

On the second line of the chorus, Grian kicked in Sam's knees so he'd fall to them.

_'Cause one day  
I'll have you beggin' on your knees for me  
Yeah one day  
I'll have you crawling like a centipede  
You mess with me_

Grian cornered Sam as he sung for the next part of the chorus.

_And messed with her  
So I'll make sure you get what you deserve  
Yeah one day  
You'll be beggin' on your knees for me_

He jumped backwards as people on the outsides of the stage pushed Sam back onto the stage, and the spotlight shined on him.

_So watch your back  
'Cause you don't know when or where I could get you  
I've set the trap and when I am done  
Then you'll know what I've been through  
So oh mister player do you feel like the man now  
And I bet you're nervous 'cause this song makes you freak out_

This time, Ren cornered him as Grian pushed Sam back out in front of the crowd. Basically shaming him for messing with their relationship so much.

_I know I'm being bitter  
But I'mma drive you under  
'Cause you just don't, don't deserve happy ever after  
But what you did to me, after you told me  
You never felt that way it was only just a game_

A pause.

When Sam was back up front, Grian made sure once more to force Sam to his knees.

_And one day  
I'll have you beggin' on your knees for me  
(Beggin' on your knees for me)  
Yeah one day  
I'll have you crawling like a centipede  
(Crawling like a centipede)  
You mess with me  
I'll mess with her  
So I'll make sure you get what you deserve  
Yeah one day  
You'll be beggin' on your knees for me_

As the group ended the song, Grian had walked one foot in front of the other in front of the group and the entire student body cheered like there was no tomorrow.

Grian exhaled, and for a second he thought he could see his breath, but he thought nothing of it at the moment because it was a little cold.

He smiled and the rally went on as normal. People continued to cheer on the Acapella group.

The spotlights turned on to the stage grabbing everyone's attention immediately.

_"Student body! It's time... Time to light the bonfire! Would all club leaders come up with their club sacrifice."_

"Sacrifice." Grian chuckled, walking up to the stage. Out of the twelve clubs in the school, the Acapella kids always stood out the most. With their peppy attitudes, sparkly outfits, and everything in between, everyone knew their smiles, their happiness, their sparks.

By the next afternoon, Grian and Ren were laughing about how the entire performance of last night had gone.

"Dude, I don't think I've ever embarrassed someone like that before."

"Grian, dude, that was amazing."

"Yeah, I don't think I'll ever do that again though."

"Uh oh, Grian, here comes the cheer squad."

Grian turned around to see the entire cheer team walking up to him and Ren.

"Hey girls, what can we do for you?" Grian asked, "We don't normally see you around these parts."

"We wanted to offer you a spot on the cheer team." The head leader said, "We've seen the way you move and you're really nimble."

"I-I don't know. I'm already in three things that have competitions and things.."

"Think about it and let Karen know."

"I still can't believe her name is Karen."

"Can't you do the splits?"

"I.. Well, that's a secret."


	22. Old Habits Die Hard

"Thanks for walking me home, Ren." Grian said with a yawn, "I'm so tired."

"Not a problem man, get some sleep. You need it." Ren responded, "I'll let you know when I get home, yeah?"

"Yeah alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, Bye, Gri." Ren said waving bye.

"Bye Ren."

It was nearly ten pm when he walked in the door, so he quietly made his way up to his room being sure not to wake anyone up.

As he was getting undressed, his phone rang and he immediately answered it.

"Yeah?"

There was silence on the other end.

"Ren?"

He heard something faint being shouted and he focused more on the voice.

_"WOULD YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!? Sam, leave!"_

His eyes widened as he kept his bluetooth on and turned into a lion and rushed to where Ren's location was.

When he was close, he could hear Ren shouting, and Grian snarled at the person holding him at knife point and knocked him to the side when the blade was away from Ren's body.

"Grian!"

"Are you okay, Ren?"

"Yeah. How'd you get here so quick?"

"Enhanced speed." Grian said getting in front of Ren and defensively swinging his tail, "Leave Ren alone, Sam. Do you hear me?"

"And what're _you_ going to do about it little cub?" Sam growled.

"Leave him alone." Grian growled, "He isn't your problem, so leave him be."

A van drove up to them and two adults walked out of it.

"What is going on here?" One asked aiming a gun at Grian.

"Wait! He isn't the problem! It's just Grian." Ren defended, "Sam was the one trying to mug me. Grian, turn back so they don't shoot you."

He glanced back to Ren, then turned back and he was on his knee.

"Get out of here Sam, final warning." Grian warned, then looked to the people who came, "Can you stop threatening my life now?"

The person lowered the weapon as Grian stood.

"Ren are you okay? Did Sam hurt you?"

"No, Grian, I'm fine."

"I'm walking you home."

Grian walked Ren home, he told him he would let him know when he got home safely.

When Grian got back, he texted Ren and went to sleep.

By the next morning, Grian was happy that it was a Saturday.

When his mother walked in his room at 9:30AM, he pulled the pillow over his head.

"Mum... It's early, let me sleep."

"Grian, it's 9:30. Get up."

"No."

"Grian, get up."

"Mum, let me sleep. I've been up late for the past three nights."

"Your voice sounds really hoarse as well. Are you feeling okay?" She began moving the pillow away, "Grian, let me see your face."

"Mum, I'm fine. Just let me sleep some more."

"How about you come eat food with me and your brother first, then I'll let you sleep more."

"We can go out to brunch and I'll pay." Grian said, "Deal? Your guy's choice, I don't care, just let me sleep for another hour and a half."

A brief pause, Grian thought he was going to get dragged out of bed, "Fine, have it your way, Mr. Demands."

He grunted at her.

"Don't grunt at me like a caveman."

"Mum, let me sleep."

"Fine, caveman."

_~Hour and a Half Later~_

"GRIAN, GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED AND LET'S GO."

Grian groaned and finally got out of bed, "Give me five minutes to get dressed."

As he walked downstairs, he picked up an over shirt and walked downstairs as he buttoned it up.

"Okay, where are we going, guys?"

"iHop."

"Really? I say we'll go anywhere you want and I'll pay and you guys choose iHop?" Grian chuckled, "Alright, alright. Let's go then."

_~At The Restaurant~_

"Yeah, no, mum, the Acapellists and I had a lot of screaming last night at the rally." Grian said as the three waited for the waiter, "I don't have a cold or anything, my throat is just sore."

"Well you should probably take a break then." Lyra said, "It's important."

"I have been, ever since last night, I've not really been speaking much."

When the waiter came, they ordered their meal and had a nice morning.

_~Another Time skip because I'm as bored as you are right now~_

Grian's clairvoyance has been acting up for a few days ever since the pep rally.

On this Wednesday morning, Grian was in robotics and was having trouble focusing.

"GRIAN."

He yelped and looked towards the source of the call, "Ye-Yes?"

"Are you okay?" The teacher asked, "You're spaced out."

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright."

He cocked an eyebrow at him, "See me after class."

He didn't say another word, only went back to his notes and tried focusing more on the lecture.

His mind only gave him strong images of death and fighting in his future. 

He didn't even notice when the class ended. The only reason he did notice was because his teacher tapped his desk snapping him out of his trance.

"Is something wrong, Grian?" He asked, "You've been extremely gazed out of class lately."

"No offense, but what I'm dealing with is nothing you could help with." Grian said rubbing a hand through his hair, "It's.. It's just Watcher stuff. It's complicated."

"Well, you need to get your head out of this trance of yours. There's a competition coming up and I need your head on straight. You're our main line of success."

"R-Right. I-I'll get it figured out."

"Alright, take a break, get some lunch kid."

"Yeah.." Grian then put away his binder, "T-Thanks, Mr. Castor."

As he left the room, he felt his powers pulse once, then twice, then he felt his breath escape him.

As he walked down the hall, he called Lyra.

_"Hey, Gri. What's up?"_

"Do you know anything about pulsing powers?"

_"Uh, kinda, why?"_

"My powers have just been... I don't know, it's difficult to explain. But they've been pulsing."

_"I know that there's a comet that disrupts Watcher powers in player worlds, but that's about it."_

"That would kinda explain the random clairvoyance scenes I've been having.. Bu-"

_"Clairvoyance? That's been going off?"_

"Yeah?"

_"Grian, I need you to tell me what's going on when you get home. I'll pick the two of you up. If you're having problems, then Xisuma is probably having the same problems as well."_

"But mum-"

_"Grian, just tell me when I pick you up. Okay?"_

"Okay..."

_"I'll see you at the end of the day."_

"Yeah, okay."

His day went on, it was full of distractions.

When he was in acapella, he suddenly felt floating and in Limbo. He saw a flash of red, then suddenly pain.

When he came to, he felt the weight of multiple people on top of him.

_"Is everyone okay?"_

People were standing and groaning, then a hand was on his back.

"Grian, are you okay?"

"Yeah..." He said with a wince, planting his hands down in front of him, he pulled himself to his knees, "I'm okay.."

"Grian, what happened?"

"I-I don't know."

Ren glanced at the director, she nodded at him and he pulled Grian up to his feet and walked him backstage. He sat him down in one of the chairs and took off the mic and bracelet.

Grian stared at the ground, mindlessly thinking about seemingly nothing.

"Grian, look at me." Ren said, but Grian still only stared at the ground. Ren leaned over to the side and grabbed one of the water bottles and squirted it in Grian's face, and _that_ seemed to snap him out of it, "Grian, what is going on with you?"

"I really don't know... I think someone's in danger..."


	23. Distractions

"What do you mean someone's in danger?"

"I-I-I don't know." Grian stuttered, "Clairvoyance doesn't lie. X and I have the same powers, I-I don't know if he's freaking out too and being spaced out."

"Grian, take a breath man. You need to calm down."

"I am perfectly calm, Ren!"

"No, you're not! I know you, Grian." Ren said forcing Grian to look at him, "I know when you're overwhelmed by something."

Grian buried his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes. When he sighed, Ren lightly touched Grian's arm.

An image of chains flashed in his mind and Grian gasped and nearly screamed as he jumped away from Ren.

"D-Don't.. Don't touch me, Ren." Grian said trying to catch his breath, "Please, j-j-just don't. I've not had clairvoyance flashes like this in a long time."

"Grian, is something wrong?"

"Oh, well, I don't know, Ren. It's not like I'm getting violent flashes of the future that are extremely violent. So yeah, nothing is wrong."

Ren put his hands up in defense, "Geez dude, I'm sorry I asked."

"I'm sorry, Ren.." Grian quickly apologized and turned around, "It's just that you don't understand my powers and the last thing I want to do is put you or anyone else in danger."

"Grian, you have control over your own powers. I know you do-"

"IT'S NOT ABOUT MY POWERS, REN!" Grian shouted turning around with tears in his eyes, "THE LAST THING I WANT TO SEE IS YOU OR ANY OTHER INNOCENT HUMAN IN CHAINS. WATCHERS ARE RUTHLESS, THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT THEMSELVES!" He took a breath, "Xisuma, Lyra, Orion, and myself are all different. We're some of the good ones. It's _RARE_ when you find a good one of our kind."

The bell rang, "I'll see you later, Ren."

As Grian got into the car, he rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"You two need to tell me what's going on." Lyra said immediately, "I nee-"

"Clairvoyance doesn't lie, mum." Grian said immediately, "When Ren touched my arm, all I saw were chains. I don't know what's going to happen because it's all only images and not scenes."

"Yeah, Grian's right, Mum." Xisuma said, "It's been happening to me as well, and then again, mine isn't going as far as chains."

Grian was in the back while X was in the front, he looked up in realization, "X... You aren't seeing chains? A-Are you not seeing death and violence either?"

"I-.. No?"

It was at that moment that Grian knew _something_ was wrong.

"H-How?! Xisuma, how are you not seeing them?! _I'm_ seeing them."

"Grian, I don't know. Are you okay?"

"No, no I'm not." He said, "If you're not seeing these things and I am, I don't know what'll happen to you, or mum, or-"

"Grian, breathe!" Lyra interrupted, "You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"Mum-"

"Grian, just.. Just take a breath, okay? Everything is going to be okay."

"You're wrong.." Grian mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'you're wrong'." He repeated, "Nothing is going to be okay. I don't know what's going to happen in the near future, I didn't want to know, and I don't need to know if I'm going to lose the only family I have left!"

"Grian, we know how to fight. We'll be okay."

"Mum-"

"Grian, we'll be okay."

He slumped back against the seat as they drove home, silently thinking about what could happen in the future.

_~Four hours later~_

Lyra was down stairs while the boys were upstairs SUPPOSEDLY working on homework. But she knew Grian wasn't doing that, he was too worried about what'll happen in the near future.

When there was a knock on the door, she immediately answered it.

"Ren, good evening." She greeted with a smile, "What brings you here?"

"I'm worried about Grian." He said immediately as he walked in, "He's not answered any of my texts ever since his panic attack during Acapella."

"He's upstairs in his room." Lyra said, "Though I don't know exactly what he's doing, but I have heard him doing something with his powers, so be wary of how you walk in."

"Okay.."

Ren walked up to Grian's room and saw him shirtless manipulating a ball of magic. As he looked closer, he could see all the scars he was given throughout his days.

He knocked on the frame, "Hey Grian."

Grian screamed as he accidentally threw the ball at the wall.

"Ren, hi..." Grian gasped, then used his powers to repair the wall, "You scared me."

"Sorry, are you good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Grian confirmed, "I'm.. I'm okay, for now."

"You've not answered any of my texts, I was worried about you."

"Ren, I'm sorry."

"What? Why?"

"The way I snapped at you earlier... It was... It was uncalled for."

"Grian, you're just frightened, I know that."

"Ren, the only way you're going to understand, is if I tell you the entire story."


	24. Story of My Kind

"Then explain it to me, Grian. What is your kind like?"

Grian locked the door and closed his blinds. When he walked back to Ren, he held out his hand for Ren to take. When Ren did take it, Grian sighed, then moved his powers to put himself and Ren in a dreamlike state.

The landscape was dark.

_"For centuries, Watchers have terrorized many different worlds, many different species, killing them off one by one. They've committed mass genocide of the angels and demons, it's why we don't see them around much anymore."_

_"When an angel dies, a new world is created. It's how yourself and every other human managed to get to the world you're in now, Ren."_

_"Angels and demons both die to create new life. It can be ironic, but then again, it's all for new life. When an angel creates a new life, they continue by sending their own soul out to the world."_

_A pause was heard before Grian started speaking again._

_"There are some people who are born of an angel's kiss. Those are usually Watchers with angel hearts. Sometimes, those with angel hearts, their blood can be used to make every other organ in a body angelic. That's what the kidnappers did to me when they took my kidney, they made my entire organ system angelic."_

_"What makes me different from my family, is not only my heart, but the way I think."_

_"I was tested when I was young. I'm one of the smartest Watchers known to the species. I can manipulate what others can't. But that's what brought me here."_

_"I've seen everything. Chains, whips, drugs, all of it. And all of it ended so abruptly."_

_"My kind has always been known to destroy. But those of us who create..."_

_Grian allowed Ren to see him, more scars and marks were seen on his body. Ones that weren't there before._

_"They kill us."_

_"I am the biggest reason why my family ran. But Xisuma, Orion, and Lyra all felt the need to create. I created a world at three years old. I made life out of nothing and allowed different types of humans and animals to live there."_

_"There are Watchers, Listeners, then there's the high counsel. All of which serve a vital part in Watcher existence. But no one likes the high counsel."_

_Ren glanced at Grian. Grian sighed before speaking once more._

_"They nearly killed Orion for choosing his family over his job. His job was to kill traitors. He quit when he was told that my eldest brother, Xayther, was to be the next 'chosen Watcher'. He had to put all his attention to Xayther and didn't have much attention to his own job. And at five years old, that's when X and I really began to act out. Changing forms, messing with our parents at the crack of down."_

_"Then there's my life. I found out when we were taken, that my mother modified my genetic structure when I was still in the womb. Experiments, they apparently never stopped. When she took us, she only wanted to finish what she started. Ren, I'm an angel."_

_"And as long as you're with me, you're in danger."_

There was light back in their sights and Grian's eyes faded from purple to blue.

"Grian... Do you truly believe I'm in danger when I'm with you?" Ren asked, his voice soft. Grian sat on the bed and nodded, Ren also sat beside him.

"Ren, I don't want to see you hurt." Grian's voice started breaking, "There's something about you that I just can't put my finger on."

Ren put his arm around Grian, he unknowingly summoned his wings and wrapped them around the them. Ren gasped then lightly chuckled as he felt the soft feathers of his wings tickle his sides and neck.

Grian felt a wave of his powers go throughout his body. But it was a calm pulse, it felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. When he opened his eyes, he pulled away from Ren and folded his wings.

"R-Ren..."

"Yeah?"

Grian turned towards him with purple eyes, "You were born of an angel's kiss."


	25. Angels & Futures

"How is that possible?" Ren asked taking Grian's hand, "You just said-"

"Every generation has a family that is born of an angel, Ren." Grian interrupted, "Take me to your house, I need to see something."

"What are you looking for?"

"Angelic properties."

Grian and Ren immediately ran downstairs and down the road to Ren's house.

When the two entered in frantically, Ren's parents looked over at them.

"Boys, is everything okay?" Ren's mother asked, "What's going on?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Usoro, I need to know something." Grian said immediately, "Are you guys in beliefs of angels?"

"Ever since we met your family and then found out your whole family secret."

"Okay, uh, I-I-I accidentally used my clairvoyance on Ren and found out he was born of an angel's kiss.." Grian said, "Uh, m-may I see your hands? I _desperately_ need to see something."

"An angel's kiss? Grian, what-"

"Just let me see your hands, please!" Grian shouted, "This is a desperate matter. My family's lives and your lives could be greatly impacted by what I see."

"I don't understand."

"Mrs. Usoro, please, just give me your hands."

Finally the two gave Grian their hands, Grian's wings expanding as he looked through their lives.

When he opened his eyes again, his wings were gone, "Your entire family are angels. How... How could I not realize this?!"

"Angels have wings, though." Ren said, "Grian..."

"Ren, you're human. Your family as well. You were all just born with pieces of angel souls... I-I just... I can't.. I can't understand why this hasn't been seen before. I just... I need to do research, but now that I know this about your family, this is dangerous."

"Grian, you need to explain to us what's going on." Ren's mother said, "Why are you so freaked out about this thing?"

"Because angels are barely seen in general." Grian said letting his wings fall to the ground, "Angels and angel souls.. Even Watchers can't figure out what causes these."

"Gr-"

"I'm one of the smartest Watchers known to the high counsel, and even _I_ can't figure this out."

"Grian, c'mon, you can't figure this out."

"If I can make people walk on air, I can figure this out." Grian said, forcing his wings to disappear, "I just need to do some research."

"But Grian-"

"No buts, Ren." Grian interrupted, "I need to find our book, uh, I'll see you guys later."

The family was left in confusion as Grian left, but instead of walking home, he flew back. It was faster and he needed to find out answers quickly.

When he ran into the house, his wings disappeared and he hadn't realized Xisuma was in the room.

"What's got your head in a twist?" Xisuma asked, "You look frazzled."

"Do you know where our Watcher/Angel book thing is?"

"I'm not going to ask, try the attic."

"In other words you don't know."

"That would be correct little brother."

Grian leaned over the couch and thumped X's head, "You're so much help, y'know that?"

"First of all, ouch." Xisuma said rubbing his forehead, "Secondly, if you want a sure answer, ask mum."

"Where is she?"

"Kitchen."

"Cool, thanks."

Grian went into the kitchen and Lyra was baking scones, "Mum, w-"

"Grian, just the boy I was looking for." Lyra said with a smile, "Here, take one of these."

"I-What? Mum, I ne-"

"Take one."

Her tone went more serious and slightly threatening, so he took one of the snacks and continued talking, "Mum, first of all, these are delicious, what did you put in them?"

"Just something special." She chuckled, "What's up?"

"Do you know where our Watcher/Angel book thing is?" He asked, continuing to eat the scone, "I need to read something."

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything... Yet. But I need to find something out."

"I don't know what you did, or what you're planning, but it's in the not-so-secret compartment that's under my bed."

"'Kay." Grian said, then went to leave, but turned around again and grabbed another scone, "I'm taking another one of these."

When he walked back into the main room, he spoke to Xisuma once before walking upstairs, "Mum made scones. Better get to them before she and I eat them all."

"Brat."

"In the flesh. I'll be in my room reading if you need me."

Within the next twenty minutes, Grian was in his room with the book that was at least twenty inches thick. There was at least five hundred pages solely on angels and angel hybrids.

It was almost two in the morning when he finally fell asleep.

_He stood on a cliff with his wings summoned on his back. He was alone, but then he wasn't._

_"Gri... Are you okay?"_

_"No, Ren. I'm not." Grian mumbled, standing and letting his wings set behind his back, "I'm smart enough to make people walk on air with a BRACELET."_

_Grian jumped off the mountain and stood mid air in front of Ren._

_"I'm smart enough to take down one of the strongest Watchers alone!" Tears started forming at his eyes, "But I wasn't smart enough to save my own family. Do you know how much that hurts? I can do so much, I can only do so much. The only family I had left is DEAD. Ren, I don't know what I'm doing anymore."_

_"Grian, your life isn't all what you're thinking it to be."_

_"REN, YOU'RE AN ANGEL, I'M A WATCHER. WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO KNOW?!"_

_"You aren't a super soldier."_

_"Ren, I am. You don't know what powers I have. My life is just... It's just difficult. I don't know how to explain it."_

_"Grian, you need to wake up and remember that you aren't all this and a bigger thing than what you already are. You're Grian, you're the son of Orion and Lyra Void. They are your parents, not Aurora and Aerglo. You're a Void child, you are loved as a Void, not a Blaze. You're better, you're Grian. You know that."_

_"Ren, I-"_

Grian woke up with a gasp as he shot up in the bed.

"That can't be my future..."


	26. Chains

"Grian?" Lyra said walking into his room, "Grian, are you okay?"

"Huh? What?" Grian panted, "Oh, yeah.. Yeah, mum I'm okay."

"I came when I heard you scream, are you sure you're okay?" She asked, sitting down beside Grian as he sat up.

"I'm just... I don't know, frightened? I guess about the future?"

"What do you mean?"

"I.. You know I can't tell you the future. It'll change too much."

"Grian, whatever is in the future is set and stone."

"Not always, but.. You.. You won't leave me alone... Right?"

Lyra's eye's filled with worry as she looked at Grian, "I don't plan to any time soon. You need to tell me what has you so worked up."

Grian looked away and looked towards the book, "I- ... I got a-a-a scene... A full, played out scene in a dream... Y-You weren't there... And apparently X wasn't there." His eyes started forming with tears as he remembered the vision, "I-I-I-I don't... I don't want to think that you two would be dead in my future... It-It just looked so.. So soon. I-"

Lyra hushed him with a hug when he wouldn't stop stuttering, "Grian... Shush, hun... We'll figure all this out. I promise you that you'll be okay. You know how to fight, so does X. You'll both be okay."

"Y-you... You can't promise that."

"Grian-"

"Mum, you don't have this future power thing I have, you can't promise that I'll be okay."

She pulled him away from her, "While I'm here, I can promise that you'll be okay."

Grian only hugged Lyra without any form of words traced in his voice.

"Don't worry about the future, baby. Okay?" Lyra whispered in his ear, still not letting him go, "For whatever time I have with you. I will always be here for you. No matter what you may need."

Grian sniffled as he pulled away and wiped his eyes, "I just.. I don't want to lose you... You and X are all I have left."

"You won't, I promise."

Grian looked back to the book, and Lyra pulled his attention away from it, "Don't worry about the book, Grian. You can read through it more later, alright?"

Grian let out an inaudible 'yeah' and laid back down while Lyra took the book and sat it on his desk.

Before she left Grian lifted his head slightly, "Mum... I won't have to worry about Watchers... coming for me.. right?"

"Shouldn't. Orion and I brought you guys here so that you'd be safe." She opened the door to leave, "Good night, Grian, I love you."

"I love you too, mum."

He went to sleep, but he didn't want to sleep. She was too scared of what could happen.. what **would** happen.

So for the next day, he was completely distracted, extremely jumpy, and didn't want anyone to touch him.

He tried hard to not let it bother him, but it always did. Even to the next pep rally.

**_~*~_ **

It was the second pep rally of the semester, the night was rather chilly as the Acapellists were suiting up for their part of the rally.

They were all backstage making sure their vests and show was in order.

"Grian! Have you seen my make up sponge?" One of the girls asked, "I can't find one."

"Try looking under one of the cabinets for a new one." Grian replied slicking back his hair, "It'll be quicker, we go on in five minutes. Why didn't you just do your make up before you came?"

"Forgot about it."

Grian looked over and glared at her, "Okay, whatever." He got up to grab his black and purple sequined vest and started buttoning it over his front, "Ren, you ready to rock it?"

"Ready when you are." Ren chuckled, fully dressed and ready for the performance, "It'll be great."

Grian stood on a chair to get the group's attention, "So, after the Dance Team is done with their set, it's us then we go to the bonfire. Everyone knows what song we're doing, so it'll be fine. We've put a lot of work into this show, so let's show them who's got the rock!"

_"Now, student body,_ _it's_ _time for the acapellists!_ _They've_ _got a real show tonight, at.. 10 pm._ _It's_ _great. Give it up for the acapellists!"_

"That's us, bracelets on guys, let's go."

Grian and the others started setting up on the set up the did earlier in the day outside. Everyone who wasn't Ren and Grian stood on the platforms.

The lights dimmed down as they were setting up, Ren and Grian face to face on a single knee, then the backups started with the hard rock of the song. The spotlights only showed on them until the first verse came.

As Grian sung for the first few lines, he and Ren both stood slowly and turned their heads towards their student body.

_Bright city lights  
Another night to die  
And I'm feelin' so high  
These days are passing by_

He and Ren turned away from each other and they both leaned back, as Grian continued the verse.

_I question myself why I'm feeling this burned out  
_

They stood straight as the verse continued with both of them, slowly walking away from each other step by step.

**_I fear the day I throw it away  
Any chance to take this all the way  
Needless to say, we'll see how it turns out_ **

They planted their feet shoulder width apart as the lights flickered a few times.

As the chorus started Grian and Ren both snapped towards the crowd and moved to one knee with their faces towards the ground.

**_EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
Light 'em up!  
We are the danger  
And we're lookin' to score_ **

On the third line they both stood and then slid towards each other, continuing the chorus.

_**EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
Light 'em up!  
We are the danger  
And now we're lookin' for more  
EVERYBODY GET DOWN!** _

Suddenly Grian's attention was ripped away by a portal opening, but they continued the song regardless.

As the group was continuing with the break, Ren looked at Grian and he only shrugged and shook his head.

_**Heading out for good, quicker than I should  
No, I wouldn't change it if I could  
Don't say you never would  
We've seen how this plays out  
We've held it down  
Brought it to the ground  
In the dust and ashes we've been found  
It's in our hands now  
Let's hope we can hold out** _

Grian summoned his wings when he saw two more portals open and three Watchers fly through.

When they continued the next chorus lines, only Ren fell to his one knee while Grian used him as a leverage into the sky.

_**EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
Light 'em up!  
We are the danger  
And we're lookin' to score  
EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
Light 'em up!  
We are the danger  
And now we're lookin' for more  
EVERYBODY GET DOWN!** _

He saw Xisuma in the crowd and quickly nodded at him, then the two put over a protective barrier over the students and staff at the pep rally, but Xisuma was safe inside the dome.

**And now we hold it in our hands  
 _You can't say we had no chance  
_ No looking back  
 _We're set to burn out_**

Grian tried his best to keep the Watchers from coming towards the Acapellists, but he was hit with something as the last bit of the song started.

_**EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
** _ **_Light em up!  
We are the danger  
And we're lookin' to score  
EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
Light em up!  
We are the danger  
And now we're lookin' for more  
EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
Light em up!  
We are the danger  
And we're lookin' to score  
EVERYBODY GET DOWN!  
Light em up!  
We are the danger  
And now we're lookin' for more  
Now we're lookin' for more  
Now we're lookin' for more  
EVERYBODY GET DOWN!_ **

Grian protected Ren with his wing and suddenly...

They were gone.

_~!!!~_

When every portal and Watcher was gone, Xisuma lifted the barrier and flew over to where the Acapellists once stood.

"No... No, no, no." Xisuma panicked, he knelt on the ground as his wings disappeared and touched the ash that was left behind, "Watchers... W-.. I gotta call mum."

He immediately took out his phone as the entire school started panicking.

_"X? How's the rally?"_

"Not good. Not good at all! Grian and the entire Acapella group just got kidnapped by Watchers!"

_"WHAT?! Tell me you're joking. PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING."_

"YOU KNOW IF I'M JOKING OR NOT. We need to save them."

_"X, we-"_

"THE WATCHER REALM IS DANGEROUS FOR HUMANS. WE NEED TO GO TONIGHT."

_"I'll meet you at the house."_

"I'm on my way now."

He put away his phone and walked up to the person who had a microphone.

"Tell everyone that the Acapella kids will come back unharmed. My family will make sure of that." He then flew off without another word.

_~**~_

Grian woke with a strong pain against his wings and wrists.

"Oh no..." He mumbled, "This is bad. This is very very bad."


	27. Chapter 27

As Grian got ahold of his surroundings, he saw the chains on his wrists and started fidgeting with them.

"Grian, what are you doing?" Scar asked, standing up.

"Dislocating my thumb so I can get my wrists free." Grian said immediately, "I have an advanced healing factor, so I can heal immediately when I'm free."

"Uh.. You have a collar on, dude."

"Once I have my wrists free, I'll rip it off my neck. I'll be fine. I'll get us all out of here."

"Grian?"

He didn't answer them, he just continued with what he was doing and dislocated his right thumb and slipped his hands out of the chains.

"Scar, C'mere." Grian said standing up and snapping his thumb back in place, "Help me get this collar off."

"Isn't it attached to your nerves?"

"Nope, not this one, just help me rip it off."

Scar moved behind Grian and grabbed the back of the collar while Grian grabbed the front of it.

"On three, one, two, three-" Grian and Scar both pulled at the same time, the collar snapping in half and Grian flinging against the wall to his back, "Ow."

Grian moved to his knees and shook his head, "Ow, okay."

His healing factor healed whatever wounds he had and he stood. He sighed as he started looking around, then saw a vent.

"HA! Stupid Watchers." He mocked, climbing up to the vent, "Okay, so... Screws.."

He once more used his powers to manipulate each screw out of the sockets they were in. 

"Guys, I'm gonna crawl through this vent to the other side and unlock the cage." Grian explained, "Then I'll get us to the portal room and get everyone home. Quick and easy."

"Whenever someone says that, something goes wrong." Ren said, "Grian, are you sure?"

"Well, we do have a little rat in the group." He chuckled, "That'll be me while I get through the vent. We have about five minutes before Watchers realize that I have taken off the restraints."

"Quick movements, Grian. Let's go home."

Grian nodded and quickly made his way through the vent. As he appeared on the other side, he jumped down and turned human again and went to the lock.

"Shit." He mumbled, "I don't have time for this..."

"Grian, what's wrong?" Ren asked in a panic.

"It's a virtual padlock code, I need to hack through it." He tried looking to see if there was any trace of Watcher residue on the pad. He groaned when he didn't see anything and slammed his elbow into the keypad and took a look at the inside wiring.

_Come on, Grian. Think. This is new technology, your friends are counting on you. Think._

He saw a wire attached to the barrier and started fiddling with the wire. Three seconds later the barrier was released and Grian looked to the group.

"Let's move."

"Who says you're allowed to demand us around?" Sam groaned, "What makes you so special?"

"Remind me Sam, _who_ has the magic powers? Who knows this realm? WHO IS AWARE THAT EVERYONE'S LIVES ARE IN DANGER?"

Sam jumped back slightly.

"That's what I thought." Grian glared, "NOW, MOVE IT."

When some people didn't move, Grian turned back around, "If you don't move, you die. And I'm pretty sure you guys are wanting to live."

That seemed to get into their heads and they all started following Grian down the hall. Grian heard walking and the flap of wings down the hall, he hushed the group and had them huddle against the wall.

As he waited for the Watcher to pass, Ren tapped Grian on the shoulder.

"G, we got a problem." He whispered in a slightly frightened voice, when he didn't look back, Ren whispered once more, "Grian, we have a problem."

"It can wait, Ren."

"No, it actually can't." He forcibly turned Grian around, "Because THAT exists."

"Oh... Shit." Grian said, "Everyone get behind me. NOW."

He flew into the air and covered the group with a barrier, summoned a dagger and chucked it into the Watcher's neck. Its soul dissipated into particles as he forced the barrier away and landed on the ground.

He crouched in front of the dagger and sighed. He felt his entire body be encased in his own magic as he changed his outfit. He stood with a growl as he turned around, his shirt was now just a purple velvet vest, black jeans, and boots. He decided against the cloak that the Watcher's wore, it leaves him open to too many attacks.

_"GRIAN!"_

He turned around immediately and smiled.

"MUM! X!" He shouted, and ran up to them. They were in the same sort of outfits that Grian was.

"Grian, thank goodness we found you." Lyra said, "I can't lose you again."

"We can't lose each other." Grian corrected, "How did you guys get here?"

"Same way we did last time." Xisuma said, "We portalled through. Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, everyone's fine." Grian said turning towards the group, "We need to get them to the portal room and get out of here."

"You have twenty four lives at stake. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Twenty-two." Grian corrected, "Twenty-two lives are at stake."

As they all were running through the halls a loud screech only heard by Grian, Xisuma, Lyra, and Ren sounded through their ears and each one feel to their knees.

Grian groaned as he pulled his hands to his ears and tried to deafen the scream. When the sound finally ended, Grian let out a whimpering breath.

"What's wrong with Grian?" Someone asked, "Are they okay?"

Grian stood on shaking legs, "We'll be fine. That screech is only heard by magic beings such as myself, my family, and Ren. Mum?"

"Ugh, ow." Lyra said, standing and pulling X up with her, "That's the elder Watcher screech, Grian. They know you're gone out of your cage."

"Or..." Grian started then rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "They know I hacked through their new technology."

"Grian, you idiot."

"Mum!"

"Grian, you know that's dangerous! They can track you from that!"

"Let them. Let them try. I'm smarter than all of them combined!"

"Grian, that may be true, but you're still vulnerable."

"TO. WHAT." Grian nearly shouted, "To what am I vulnerable to?" 

"Gr-"

"No. To what? What am I vulnerable to? Them taking over my mind? Impossible. Overshadowing my powers? They can't, my mental focus is too strong. I don't let people into my head."

"Fine, then let's move."

Grian nodded and they all continued moving down the hall and to the main room.

They quickly ran into more problems, the head Watcher found them and had Lyra in their arms, threatening to take her life.

_"Use your powers, and she dies, Void kids."_

The entire Acapella group was behind Xisuma and Grian.

Grian was fighting back his minds' frantic screams to just attempt to save her. He knew her fate. He knew Xisuma's fate. He knew that he couldn't do anything about it. And so he thought, he thought through that clouded headspace and looked at X.

"Portal me."

"Grian, that's dangerous! They literally have our mother at knife point."

"Portal. Me." Grian demanded, "I need you to trust me."

Xisuma slightly groaned, then a portal appeared under Grian's feet and then above the Watcher's head as he appeared through and he fell on top of them, forcing the Watcher to move away from Lyra.

"Harm her, and die." Grian growled, "I'm not letting you _things_ harm any of my family anymore."

 _"Stupid kid."_ The Watcher growled, grabbing Grian by the arm, tearing apart the skin and throwing him to the ground in front of everyone. As Grian stood, the Watcher spoke again, _"You may be smart, Xelqua. But you're not able to get people out of here unharmed."_

"I can try." Grian replied, healing his arm with his powers, "Nothing you can do, can stop me from getting everyone back to their world SAFE."

_"XELQUA, STOP TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD. YOU AREN'T A HERO. YOU'RE JUST A STUPID. KID."_

"I'm smarter than you." He remarked, putting a protective dome around the humans, "Mum, X, let's take this thing to the grave."

They tried and fought their hardest, but eventually, Lyra was teleported away from a strong blast, leaving Xisuma and Grian alone to deal with the head Watcher.

"Well, now it's just you and me, X." Grian said, but then Xisuma was suddenly gone, "And now it's just me. Okay, let's fight."

_"You will lose. Your powers will fail you."_

Grian looked back to the group of humans, Ren was looking at him with worry, everyone else was just scared. He looked back to the Watcher, as he pulled his right hand in front of his eyes and snapped them in a downwards motion, summoning the Watcher mask in front of his face.

"My destiny is my own to complete." Grian said walking forward, " _You_ have no say in it."

_"I have more say than you think."_

"But you don't. You can't control people the way you think you can." Grian growled lighting his hands on fire with the traditional purple flame that symbolized the Watchers, "These humans are nothing to you, they're everything to me."

_"Well actually-"_

_"SHUT UP SAM."_

Grian glared at Sam and silenced his voice temporarily.

"Ignore him." He said turning back to the head Watcher, "As for you-"

He was interrupted by the Watcher slamming his body into the barrier that surrounded Ren. It fell when he got to his knees and chains pulled him down and pinned him to the ground. Ren grabbed at the chains on his right arm.

"Grian?"

"Ren, I-I can't get loose." Grian responded with a strain, "OW, REN, STOP."

 _"Enough!"_ The Watcher shouted, bringing two people, _"Now, Xelqua, choose their fates."_

"No... No, no! Let them go! They're my family!" Grian pleaded, "You already took the only father I knew from me, leave Xisuma and my mum out of it!"

_"THEY AREN'T YOUR FAMILY! YOU'RE JUST A KID WHO NEEDED A HOME."_

"But they're my family! No matter if I'm adopted or not." Grian shouted, "I love them because they are the largest part of my life. You take them away from me, and I will not hesitate to take yours."

The Watcher smiled at him, then loud snaps went straight through Grians' ears, _"Oops."_

Grian felt his soul pierce as he watched them kill the only family he had left. His breath hitched as their bodies fell.

_"He can't do anything now, let him go sire."_

The chains released and Grian ran straight to his family. Necks were broken, every bone was shattered in their bodies. They felt like liquid under his fingers.

_"Now what do you have to hold you back? Your family is gone."_

_"The Void's aren't your family."_

"You're wrong." Grian mumbled as he stood.

_"What?"_

"I said, 'you're wrong.' They will always be my family." Grian growled as he turned towards them, his hands flamed, and a slight ring of fire around his feet, "No amount of hate you can show me can make me believe otherwise. My life is not yours to control."

_"It's more of mine than you think. You're a smart Watcher, I know you'll make the right decision."_

"And the right decision is killing you."

Grian's eyes continued to glow brighter, and for a brief moment, you could see the flames in his irises. Fueled by hate, fury, and sadness, he attacked until he couldn't anymore.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xayther in the corner _watching him_ take on a Watcher three times his size. He _watched_ the head Watcher kill the last family he had. And he did **_nothing._**

Soon, Grian was on one side of the room, and watched as a Watcher shot something at Ren, Grian looked over in time and ran in his lion form to run and get in the way of the shot. 

It hit him in the chest and he fell to the ground, turning human as he fell unconscious, his wings laying limp against the ground. 

"GRIAN!" Ren shouted, he ran over and rolled Grian onto his back and put one hand on the left side of his face and pulled him into his lap, "Grian, wake up... Please, I need you to wake up." 

_"He's as good as dead."_

The large Watcher shot the same ball of energy at the two and Ren held Grian close to his chest as he felt something sprout from his back and surround the two. A strong surge of power hit a dome that was unknowingly brought up around them, and Grian's eyes fluttered open, feeling the wings that weren't his against his body. He felt the strength of an angel fill his heart as he moved his hand to Ren's heart. 

"Ren.." He whispered, "Ren, let me up." 

"Grian! You're okay!" He shouted with a hug.

Grian felt fire in his veins as he hugged Ren back.

He remembered reading that each angel has a desired soul mate who they can strengthen with a touch. He sat on his knees and felt some form of mark engrave itself on his heart, he knew Ren felt the same, but Grian felt that same power two more times then stood and turned towards the watcher, "The lights of the stars may take my soul, but you will never win."

Grian used his powers to create small portals to get close to the head Watcher and attack from all sides almost at once. And because he was the smartest Watcher known to them, he knew every point of pressure that could put a Watcher to sleep or to kill them.

One portal he managed to get under the Watcher and cut the hands off them almost on accident.

As he landed in front of Ren once more, he spoke, "Try using your magic now you monster. Oh wait, you can't. Which leaves you vulnerable."

He then immediately felt something pierce through his chest and heart, as he looked down he saw a stalactite through it. He grabbed it and pulled it out of his chest.

_"HOW ARE YOU ALIVE!?"_

"I could ask you the same thing." Grian said breathlessly as his powers healed him, "But I'm alive, because _I've_ kept myself alive."

His legs shook as he walked towards the Watcher when three more came to the head's aid, "Even after you took my entire family from me. I'm stronger than you think I am." 

_"KNOW YOUR PLACE!"_

"I know my place!" Grian shouted, "My place is protecting these people from Watchers of the likes of _you_. They're not weak, they're not disgraceful, they're perfect, just the way they are."

He was a foot in front of it, "And if you don't like it..." He grabbed a Watcher's arm with a weapon in and pulled it to his chest,

__

__

__

_**"Then kill me."  
** _


End file.
